Family's Honour
by kaleidoscopeheart94
Summary: Eight Years after the Eternal Winter, an old enemy returned bearing the news about the truth behind Queen Elsa's supposedly dead parents, while the fate of a certain nation also lies in her hands. Would she be able to solve everything? (Hans's Redemption) (Eventually Helsa)
1. Escape

**Hello! Welcome to my very first frozen fanfiction. I'm pretty new to fanfiction. I love frozen very much and ever since a few months ago, I've been an avid reader in Frozen Fandom. So, I thought I'd give it a try. Any reviews, follows, and favourites would be very much appreciated. :)**

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The prince pulled his hat once he was inside the dungeon. His steps were steady but sure. As he passed along the cells, he could feel a few prisoners casted him a stare of ignorance. He couldn't risk taking a glance towards them as he would eventually reveal his identity. His destination was only to one of the cells that was located at the far end of this dreadful place. His time was limited and his plan needed to be carried out immediately. He saw the guard who was posted right outside his intended destination and tightened his grey uniform.

"I'll take over here, you go get your break." he said to the guard.

The man tilted his head slightly. A confusion written on his face.

"My break isn't due for the next hour."

"I'm telling you to get an extra hour. You deserved it. I know you want to spend time with your newborn as much as you could rather than guarding this low life over here."

With that, the other man's face brightened. "Thank you. Remind me to repay you someday."

The prince smiled, "Of course."

He waited until the guard's footstep disappeared before he walked towards to that particular cell. From where he was standing, he could see the shadow of a man who sat at the dirty floor of his cell, burying his face in between his arms. His auburn hair that mirrored his own looked disheveled. His once well built body was thinner to the point he could almost see him as merely a living bone.

"Brother." he called out.

The person in question didn't look up or even acknowledging his presence at all. The prince let out a heavy sigh.

"Hans!" he tried again, louder this time.

Slowly, the prisoner lifted his head and looked towards him. His eyes were bleak. Even with the darkness of the cell and the only source of light was from the tiny window in the size of a fist, he could see a dark circle under the prisoner's eyes combined with a freshly purple fluffy shades. It made his stomach churned.

"What do you want, Lars?" Hans croaked.

"Come here! I have something important to tell you. Quick!"

"I don't want anything from you. Just leave me alone!" his voice was cold.

For a split second there, Hans felt a little bit glad about his brother's presence. Only for a few second before he banished that feeling completely. He didn't care much about him as his other eleventh brother. Well, at least he was the least he could tolerate, before his imprisonment. For someone he considered to be the most decent man out of his other twisted conniving other brothers, Lars was the only one Hans had trusted with his life. The only who had ever treated him as a real person. Until Lars decided to join the alliance with his other family members to disowned him. So, why would he listen to him?

Lars couldn't help but feel the twinge of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea how badly his father and other brothers had treated Hans ever since he was stripped off of his title and being thrown into the dungeon. Eight years in his imprisonment and not once Lars had ever visited the former prince. He simply just could not see his beloved little brother who was once a very genuine man turned into a monster the moment he decided to become a murdering bastard who prey for the weak. It was something he could not condone. Yes, his other brothers were crueler but he expected more from Hans as he was always been loved dearly by their late mother. To even think he is capable of doing such thing just made him mad with himself.

"I don't have much time, Hans. Listen to me. There has been a coup. I'm getting you out of here." Lars blurted out. He knew he didn't have much time.

That successfully drew the attention of the former prince. He looked up to his older brother. Clearly conflicted and worried at the same time.

"What coup?" Hans asked.

"The army of Bergen had infiltrated our borders and it seemed they're heading to the palace soon. I heard from someone down at the tavern just before I came here. It seemed someone from Bergen had already been inside the castle to make sure father is inside. They're launching the attack at midnight."

Hans's brow furrowed as he reluctantly stood up and walked towards his cell bars.

"Bergen? I've never heard of that kingdom for so many years. The last I heard it was destroyed by unknown force. At least what the rumour said." he said. His curiosity won over his hurtful feelings towards his brother.

"I don't know if it's true or not. But I noticed a few people in town who were not belonged here. I'm telling you, it's happening. You need to get out of here."

Hans scoffed. "Why do you care? I'm going to die here anyway. I have nothing left. Why would I leave this place? If they managed to seize the kingdom, they would kill me. I supposed it's better to die fast rather than a slow agonising death that father had promised me."

The words that left his mouth felt like a million stab wounds penetrating Lars's soul simultaneously. But he had no time to play the guilty here, because all he cared about was getting his little brother out of this place. He knew he'd done a terrible thing, but he also knew he didn't want him to die. No matter how much disappointment he caused. He also knew Hans deserved better after everything he endured during his childhood.

Lars sighed. "I'm sorry I never come and visit you ever since you were brought here. I didn't know they did to this to you. I thought they were just going to lock you up. If I'd known, I would try to do something about it."

Hans smirked bitterly. "No you wouldn't. The fact that you were so oblivious about what they were going to do to me, after years living with their cruelty, had just proved your despise for me is even greater than the others."

The older brother gritted his teeth. "You went too far this time, Hans! You know I care about you, I always have! But when you turned to be the monster that does not even have a slightest remorse after what you've done, yes, I despise you! And hope to God, you rot in here, forever!"

"I don't have to justify my action to you! Because I did what I thought was right to save a kingdom, I do not regret anything from that! Not a thing!"

Lars was ready to spat him with a lot of colourful curse words he could think of, but held his tongue. No point arguing now, he had important matters at hand. One of which would be smuggling his little brother out of the dungeon.

"I know you're angry with me. I deserved that, and I'm still disappointed in everything you did, but you're still my brother, and I do care about you, Hans. Who do you think gave you that proper three meals a day? If I don't care about you, you'd be dead by starvation by now. I begged father to give you at least a proper meal."

Without waiting another word from his brother, Lars reached for his cell key that he stole from his father's study early in the evening. He opened the door to Hans's cell and tossed him a grey uniform just like the one he had. Southern Isles guard uniform.

"What is this?" Hans raised his brow once more.

"Well, if you're going out of here, you're going out incognito."

Hans sighed heavily. "Lars, why are you doing this? I don't deserve this, you know that."

"Oh, I know. You see, the thing is Hans, I made a vow to our mother just moments before she died. I would always protect you no matter what."

Lars paused a moment as he swallowed the lump on his throat. Suddenly the memory of their late mother made him surrounded by sadness. "She loved you so much. I couldn't resist the look on her face and eyes when she made me promise."

Hans on the other hand was struggled to keep his feelings in check. The death of his mother was still a sensitive topic for him. Especially when he was the culprit behind her demise. The self loathing swirled violently inside of him, he had to clenched his fist and closed his eyes.

 _"Stupid Hansy! It was all your fault! She was dead because of you!" yelled Gregory._

 _"You are not worthy of anything Hans, because you know what you are? You are a monster! What kind of a person would kill his own mother!" his father hissed while cradling his wife lifeless body._

The former prince snapped out of his thought and shook his head. Without any words, he changed his clothes rather quickly. This is not the time to get gloomy over the past. Lars was right, if they were going to get out of here unharmed, the faster the better. It took only a few minutes for him to dressed as one of the castle guards.

"How do we get out of here?" Hans asked.

"There's a secret passageway behind the bookshelves in Father's study."

Hans's eyes widened in shock. "Father's study? Are you mental? Going there equals a suicide mission, you know!"

"That's the only way you're going to get out. You can't get out from the gates. Somebody might recognise you."

"What about you?"

"I can't leave, Hans. I'm still the Prince of the Southern Isles. I will fight for my country until my last breath. You however had been released from that duty. You're a free man now."

Hans eyed his brother carefully. Lars was the only one who had never treated him badly during his childhood. He was only the one who he could trust. He just didn't understand why he would hate him so much over what he did eight years ago? Surely if Lars was smart he'd understood that he had no other choice to do what he did. Yet, he didn't try to ask his side of the story, nor had a gut to face him directly.

"You know, Hans. I know that deep down inside, there's still some good left in you. Because I refused to believe someone as pure as you once was, could just lose it easily. You can still be a better man. I'm giving you a chance now. Please don't waste it, anymore. Be the man that mother always believed you could be." Lars said while looking straight to his little brother.

Hans caught sincerity in those green eyes that mirrored his. A twinge of warmth appeared inside his already wilting heart.

"I have a feeling this will be the last time I ever see you. So long, brother. Good luck."

Lars pulled his little brother into a firm hug. He might not survive the fight, but he knew Hans could and deep down believed that at the core, he was still a good man. He just needed a right guidance and influence.

Hans started to walk away from the dungeon. No one paid attention to him with the disguise he was wearing. He looked like a regular castle guard. He made his escape through the entrance of the dungeon and went to his father study that was located in the north wing. Growing up in this castle, made Hans pretty familiar with every corner of the building. It was easy for him to find a shortcut that will lead him to his destination.

He glanced towards a few people in the castle and immediately recognised some of the servants, but there were also a few that he wasn't familiar with. For him they looked almost suspicious. He walked pass a servant who was wearing a regular leather vest but he noticed a tiny bulge inside the vest, he guessed it to be a gun. What kind a servant have a gun inside the castle? Lars was right. There were a lot of suspicious people. Which only meant he needed to get into the study right away. The former prince fastened his steps but not fast enough to raise any attention.

The only problem he was concerned though was how he would gain access to the room if his father was there? If he'd recognised him, he would immediately call in his guard and his plan would fail just like that. He could always knocked him out. Yeah, maybe it was the better option. He would pretend he had something important to tell the king, so the guards outside of his study would let him in. After that, it wouldn't be hard for him to knock a sixty five year old man.

He let out a relieve breath once he saw the guards weren't posted in front of his father's study. It could only mean King Balder was not in the study. He crept in slowly and found the room was indeed empty. Upon entering, Hans glided towards the bookcase to his left, inspected it for a while. There were a lot of secret passageway throughout the castle. Hans was familiar with most of them. He just never knew there was one in this room. Slowly, he tried to slide the shelves and felt it moved. Once he opened it enough he saw a dark long tunnel. Just as he was about to step in, his ear caught a faint voices that came from the next room. It was his father's private library that connected directly to his study. His curiosity kicked in and decided to take a listen.

He moved to the other side where there was a door connected to the other room. He opened it slowly very slowly hoping not to alert whoever it was inside the room. He saw his father was sitting on the couch. There was someone else with him. He couldn't quite see her face as her back was to Hans. The only thing Hans's noticed was that her jet-black hair shined that it almost didn't look real.

"You don't think I would let you get away with your failure, do you?" asked the woman.

His father raised two of his hands. "I didn't fail, Regina! The two of them are still alive! You can just take them down, yourself! Beside it was eight years ago! Why did you just showed up now?"

The woman charged towards the King in a flash at an impossible speed. Hans eyes widened. She held the king's neck on her palm.

"If your son would just do what I specifically told you to do, my job would be done by now, but no, your greedy, useless son went too far and almost kill her! We had a deal, Balder! You know the consequences of your failure! Because of that I had to launch my contingency plan that took eight bloody years to prepare!"

"Wait! Wait! I could still do that again. I could still help you got the Queen and Princess of Arendelle and bring them to you!" fear was written all over King Balder's face. Something Hans had never seen before.

"No. I'll do that myself this time. I should've known better than to trust you! This time I will take them my self. Then I could proceed my initial plan. I will be very happy to see the look in Agnarr and especially his precious little wife's face, when I kill two of their lovely daughters in front of their very own eyes! But now, I'm going to finish you first."

The woman let out a laugh that sent chill through Hans's spine.

Horrified by what he just witnessed, Hans's mouth went agape. So he was merely a pawn all these times? He remembered the King ordered him to come to Arendelle with a task to court the newly crowned Queen of Arendelle herself. Hans gritted his teeth. So, the real reason he wanted him to marry to Arendelle's crown was to eventually take both sisters and eventually have the crown for himself. His anger boiled up quickly. There was a tiny voice in his head that told him to see what the witch would do next to his father. He wanted to see it, he wanted to see the fear in his father's eyes again when he met his end. He wanted his father to pay for everything he put him through.

The next thing he saw was a blinding light that came out of the woman's palm. Hans's eyes widened. In an instant, King Balder was choking the air out of his throat while blood bursted out of his nose, ear, mouth, eyes, even his shiny clothes soaked with the crimson red liquid. The former prince froze in his place. His heart was pounding in his ear. Clearly still couldn't believe what he saw. What kind of magic was that? He felt chills ran through the back of his neck and very slowly retreated back to the bookshelves to make his escape.


	2. The Old Enemy

Queen Elsa listened intently to every word that came out of one of her ministers. Lord Dagny, Arendelle's Minister of Labour was explaining about the refugees that seek asylum in Arendelle. In the last few months ever since the revolution that happened in Sicily this last January, the number of refugees that came to Arendelle had multiplied. The problem for that was they didn't have enough space in the camp while the number kept plummeting higher.

Elsa didn't want to refuse the refugee because she obviously could not let them come back to their own country only to be killed because of the raging war. During eight years of her reign, she had established an improvement to the refugee camp and facility. She realised with the natural resources Arendelle has and it's increasing prosperity since she took the throne, she wanted to do more for people that needed a temporary home.

"It's just impossible, Your Majesty. They couldn't be comfortable if they have to be lumped together in a very tiny space." Lord Dagny ended his argument.

"I'm well aware of that, Lord Dagny. I didn't say they should be lumped together in that place like a pack of sardines. If we can't put them in one place, then build another facility. Surely we have more than enough resources to do that." Elsa suggested.

"The question is, Ma'am, where should we build the next facility? We don't have a large enough land left in Arnadarl."

"It doesn't have to be in the capital city, does it? What about Østfald or Jarlheim? Last I heard from Governors Jensen and Hauglie we still have a few hundred acres of federal lands in a few sectors there."

A murmur was heard among the other council members. Clearly they were discussing her suggestion. Sometimes she wondered why everyone would make such a fuss when the solution was right in front of them? She let out a huff then glanced to the grandfather clock that sat in the corner of the room. She had been in this room for four hours, she had promised her sister to help her with the preparation for the princess's birthday. Now she was already an hour late.

"I think that could work, Your Majesty." said Lord Solberg, Arendelle's Prime Minister.

Everybody else in the room gave their nods.

"Good. How long do you think it would take to build the new facility?"

"My estimation would be in a month, Ma'am."

A frown grazed upon the Queen's face. It would take too long. The number of refugees that just arrived yesterday needed to settle quickly. An idea suddenly struck her.

"Then in a meantime, I could make them a temporary shelter until the new facility is ready. The only place I could think of would be in the North Mountain."

A few of the council members eyed their Queen, a little bit unsure about her plan.

"You mean, make an ice shelter for them?" asked lord Solberg.

Elsa nodded. "With all due respect, Ma'am, surely you are aware that these people does not have an endurance towards cold environment, like you do." argued Dagny carefully. Wishing he did not offend his Queen.

Elsa smirked. "Well, of course I know that, my good Lord. That's the part where my nephew comes in."

"Your nephew? Which one?" Dagny raised his brows but suddenly realised how dumb the question was.

"Hmm, my other nephew would be too far away in Corona, but if I recall correctly, I do have one here in Arendelle, don't I, Lord Dagny?" She retorted back. She held the urge to roll her eyes at his obviously amusing question.

The room filled with amusing chuckles and snorts from the other members of the council.

Lord Dagny chuckled lightly at his Queen's wit. "Well yes, Your Majesty. I'm just not sure, how he could help us."

"As each and everyone of you knows, Prince Alek inherited my magical ability. Though his is a healing power, but in this case he could also cast a warmth energy from his ability. My plan would be to build them shelters made of solid ice, much like my ice palace, and Prince Alek would help warm the inside of the shelter, so it wouldn't be too cold for them."

A series of 'aah' and 'oh' echoed through the room.

Certainly it would be a good practice for the boy too, Elsa thought. Ever since they discovered that Anna's first born inherited a magical healing power, Elsa knew exactly what they should do. Because of her own experience she vowed to never let the same thing happened to Alek. The key of controlling her power is love. She and Anna agreed to teach the boy the power of love and why he should never be afraid with his gift. His power turned out to be helping a lot of people. In six years of his life, he had helped a lot more people with his gift than Elsa ever was. That made her happy and proud.

The boy himself was surprisingly shared a lot of Elsa's traits than his own mother, compare to his two years old sister. Alek was very observant, curious in nature, highly intelligent, and well mannered. The common traits he shared with Anna were the strawberry blonde hair and light blue eyes, his tendency to talk faster than an average person complete with Anna's habit to babbles. He also proved to be very good in linguistic, Alek even admitted it to her that he found languages are very intriguing. He already mastered English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian. The boy also loved biology so much. Elsa thought it was probably because of his healing ability that naturally drew his interest towards that specific field.

The meeting ended just right before lunch time. The Queen let out a relief breath and went to her study to see if there were any documents that needed her attention before she proceed to the dining room and meet with the rest of the family for lunch. She passed Gerda in the hall just outside of the nursery. The seventy years old woman was holding her niece and rocked the two years old in a hushed tone. Elsa's heart melted at the sight of the two years old. She caught an evidence of tears in her niece's whiskey brown eyes. A twinge of worry appeared inside of her.

"Hello, _min lille prinsesse_." Elsa cooed.

"Look who's here, princess Adeline?" Gerda prompted.

The light blonde hair princess lifted her face that was buried in Gerda's neck and recognised her aunt. She immediately reached out for the Queen with a small whimper. Her bottom lip trembled slightly.

Without waiting any second, Elsa gladly pulled the little girl in her embrace.

"Antt Ecchhaa!" Adeline's whined and she started crying again once her aunt wrapped her in a cold embrace. It never bothered her though, she loved her aunt's hugs. She gave the best hug and it made her feel better.

"What happened?" Elsa asked Gerda while she rubbed Adeline's back softly.

Gerda cringed. "The princess thought, it would be a good idea to climb the crib's railing. I didn't know she was doing it until I heard her screaming and found her on the floor." She was sure the Queen would be upset with her carelessness. If only she'd kept a better eye on the princess, this wouldn't have happened. As she expected, the younger woman gasped.

"Oh, darling, are you hurt? Tell me where it hurts?" Elsa took a better look at her niece.

The princess pouted slightly but pointed at her forehead.

Well, there was a slight bump in her forehead and it turned to a shade of purple. Elsa winced but then put her palm on the bruise. The blue light emitted from her palm, she smiled when her niece sighed in relief.

Adeline stopped crying in an instant. The coldness of her aunt's palm felt soothing and it made her boo-boo felt better. It didn't hurt as much anymore.

"It's nice isn't it?" Elsa asked smiling gently.

"Yeah. fank you, antt Ecchaa."

"You are very welcome, my dear."

"I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I shouldn't have let her by herself. But I was talking to Kai when she did that, I really…" Gerda felt really guilty for letting something like this happened.

Elsa's face softened. She reached out to touch the older woman's hand. A kind smile still plastered on her face. "It's alright, Gerda. Things like this happens. We can't really control them, can we? It wasn't your fault. This little princess over here just seemed eager to get out of the crib, aren't you, sweetheart?"

Adeline grinned and nodded. "Sowwy ewdaaa."

Gerda smiled at the little princess. She surely knew how to steal everyone's heart with that adorable grin.

Elsa's initial plan to catch up with her paperwork had long forgotten ever since she saw her niece's distress. There was no way she was going to get back to work when her niece needed her. Beside, she could use some free time before lunch, and spending it with the rambunctious little princess just too tempting for her. She took another observation of her niece to make sure she didn't hurt anything else. It seemed to her, Adeline had no other injuries aside from the bruise on her forehead.

"Now, I know exactly what would make you feel better. What about we do some ice skating in the courtyard?" Elsa suggested.

Adeline's eyes went wide before she exclaimed, "Yes, pweeasee!" She let out a series of giggles.

Elsa couldn't help but chuckled herself. Unlike her brother who seemed to shared a lot of Elsa's traits, this little girl was the ultimate mini version of Anna. Her energy, playfulness, and stubbornness, she even shared Anna's tendency to giggles whenever she was happy. The only difference was Adeline was a spitting image of Kristoff with her whiskey brown eyes and golden blonde hair.

They arrived in the courtyard and Elsa turned the place into a winter wonderland with a flick of her wrist instantly. The courtyard turned into an ice rink. The Queen made herself an ice skate while still holding her niece close. Because Adeline was still too small to skate by herself, Elsa thought it would be a good idea if she just skated while holding her.

Adeline giggled excitedly and stuck her tongue out to catch snow flurries that Elsa threw into the air. She loved playing with her aunt's snow. It felt so exciting and magical, but she loved it even more when she got to spend time with her.

The two of them skated around the courtyard for a little while before Elsa's caught a movement from the castle's gate. A flash of strawberry blonde hair appeared. She caught a smile on the owner of that hair's face.

"Look who's there, sweetheart?" Elsa pointed at the direction.

"Mama!" Adeline called out.

The Queen glided expertly towards her sister. Anna still had that smile on her face.

"Well, this looks like fun." Anna said.

"Sure it is. This little princess was upset after she fell from climbing the crib."

A flash of worry appeared on the crown princess's face.

"She's okay though. She just got a little boo-boo in her forehead." Elsa continued, not wanting to make her sister's worried.

"Antt Echhaaa kissed it bwetter!" Adeline wrapped her little arm around Elsa's neck.

Anna smiled at her daughter. "She did, didn't she, my love? She always makes everything better."

Elsa smiled warmly, touched by her sister's word. "So, how was the preparation? I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. The meeting took longer than expected."

"Oh, I hadn't done anything. I figured I'd wait until you finished. You know I can't be certain of anything without your input, right? So, while you were in the council meeting, I went to the orphanage and discussed the renovation progress with Erna. I'm sure the kids will love the new place once it's done."

It was Anna's ideas to do some renovation for the orphanage centre in the city. Ever since the gates opened, Anna had made it her duty to handle various charities work around the city. She was the patron of a few causes and organisations.

"I know you're more than capable of handling the preparation, yourself. After all the ball will be held in your honour, Anna." Elsa reminded her.

"I know that, but I want to do it with you. That's how much I value your opinion, big sis."

Elsa reached out her hand to touch Anna's cheek tenderly. "Then I would be more than happy to help you with the preparation for the ball after lunch."

"Okay! Now, can I join the fun?"

Before Elsa could answer, she heard a commotion from outside the castle's gate. She turned around to see what happened.

A group of city police was dragging a man towards the castle. Elsa couldn't see clearly but the man looked totally beat up. His auburn hair was disheveled, his clothes was torn in a few places, his thick facial hair covered most of his face. But what struck her the most was the clear spot of reddish brown stain that covered half torso part of his shirt. It was also clear that the man couldn't walk straight and had to be supported by two policemen on each side of him.

"Anna, take Adeline inside." Elsa instructed immediately. Her instinct told her, this was something the little girl didn't need to see.

Looking at the direction of Elsa's gaze, Anna understood instantly and took her daughter from Elsa before she retreated back inside the castle.

The Queen thawed all of the ice in the courtyard in an instant before she attended to the situation.

"Your Majesty, we arrested this man upon his arrival in our dock, not long ago." reported one of the city police.

Elsa frowned. "Why did you arrest him, constable? and what exactly did he do?"

"Because he was trespassing, Ma'am. It was your order that said this man could not enter Arendelle without your consent."

The frown on the Queen's face deepened. The man himself looked like he was in no condition to stand straight. His legs gave up and dangling weakly. If it wasn't because of the support from two policemen on his sides, he would've lied on the ground. His head dropped low, so Elsa couldn't exactly see his face.

"Why don't you take a look yourself, ma'am." the police constable lifted the man's face by yanking his long auburn hair. Forcing the man to looked up to his Queen.

It took a few seconds for Elsa to recognised that face. Once her cerulean blue eyes met with those emerald green eyes, she let out a gasp. "You!" she hissed sharply. The coldness was evident in her tone. Her instinct made her body went rigid as the adrenaline kicked in. She knew him. How could she forget the man who tried to kill her and her sister eight years ago? Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles.

What was he doing here? This man was the last person she'd want to deal with ever again. She could feel the anger started to burn inside of her remembering everything that this man did eight years ago. She remembered how those green irises glinted in victory when he said words that she still couldn't shake from her nightmares.

" _Your sister is dead! Because of you!"_

Elsa clenched her fists together when she felt her powers started to flow through her veins. She wanted to just strike him right here, right now. But his eyes weren't projecting the same evil stare that he used to give her. Now, it filled with torment and cloud. And his whole condition made her stomach tightened.

Hans recognised the person who stood in front of him and his eyes went bright for a second before he said. "Your parents, they… they're alive…" He croaked out. His voice sounded raspy. A second later, he coughed out blood from his mouth before he finally passed out.

Elsa covered her mouth after what she saw. What did he mean her parents were still alive? Her brain was racing. Her jaw tightened. Even though she wanted nothing more than to throw him into the dungeon, looking at his badly physical condition, she couldn't help but feel a little pang of empathy.

"Who did this to him?" She demanded. Surely she could never condone if her military, guards, or police force used such violence to subdue a man. She knew criminals like him deserved it, but what was in front of her was more than she could tolerate. She agreed about punishment but not torture. This was clearly torture.

"We didn't, Your Majesty. When we arrested him on board the ship he was in, he was already like this."

Her face relaxed a little.

"Do you want us to throw him in the dungeon, Ma'am?" asked the constable again.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, this man is in no condition to even stand up by himself! Get him a medical attention, immediately! But I want a full maximum level of security on him!" she barked her order.

Elsa wanted nothing more than to be done with him. But what he said filled her brain with lots and lots of question. What did he mean when he said her parents was still alive? They couldn't be, could they? It was eleven years ago! How could it be possible? And why Hans, of all the people had to be the one who said it? What really happened? Her mind was buzzing and it made her dizzy. She sure as hell going to find out. First things first, she needed him alive if she would ever want to find out.


	3. The Fall of the Isles

"Why would he be in the infirmary and not the dungeon?! Oh my God, Elsa! I can't believe it! He doesn't deserve it! He should be punished for trespassing our border again! How did he managed to escape from the Southern Isles, anyway? This just proved that the King of the Isles doesn't take his punishment seriously! I should've just let him had his trial here and not sent him back to the Isles. Because you were actually right, he committed a crime against our throne, so he should've been tried here. And…" Anna snapped once the news reached her. She let out a series of gibberish mumbled that even Elsa couldn't comprehend.

Elsa knew she would get this reaction out of her sister. She kept her mouth shut and let the strawberry blonde hair rambled. It would do no good to interject her.

After a while, Anna finally drew a long breath. Even after all these years, Elsa was still amazed at how her bubbly little sister could talk that fast in literally one intake of breath. It was both amusing and entertaining for her.

"Are you done? Is it out of your system?" The Queen asked while she held the urge to grin.

"Huh?"

Elsa shook her head, "Can I talk now?"

"Oh, sure. You don't have to ask for my permission, you're the Queen after all." Anna shrugged easily.

"Oh, good. Glad at least you still know the hierarchy around here."

The princess put her hands on her hips. "I sensed a sarcasm there." she pouted.

Kristoff casted a look of pure amusement at the sisters's banter. He enjoyed their interaction immensely. It was fascinating and could be ridiculous sometimes.

This time, Elsa finally let out a chuckle. "Well, the reason Hans is in the infirmary is because he is injured, badly. Oh, Anna, he looked nothing at all like the conniving bastard we all know eight years ago. I can't just let him die. Especially not when he knows something."

Kristoff's brows furrowed. "What does he know? Did he talk to you?"

"Talking is not exactly the right word, Kristoff. Before he passed out, he um… he told me that our parents are still alive." Elsa looked up to her father's portrait.

"What?! Wait, how? It can't be! It has been how many years now since their ship wreck?" Anna thought her ears deceived her. But it wasn't. This didn't make any sense at all!

"Eleven." Elsa said. A cloud gathered in her cerulean blue eyes.

Thinking about their parents were still somewhat made her feel sad. She missed them so much. She wished they could be here to see what she'd achieved over the last eight years. She wanted them to see how she could finally control her power and proved them right. She remembered her father's confidence and her mother's encouragement that one day she would be able to control her powers. There was also one thing that she desired most but couldn't do ever since she started fearing her power. She wanted to hold them, so badly.

"How is that even possible? No! I don't trust him! He is a manipulative wanker! This could be one of his strategy to trick us again! How could you trust what he said, Elsa?"

Elsa cringed at her sister's choice of insult word. "I don't, Anna. I know exactly what kind of person he is! That is why, I have to find the truth myself. And watch your language too, sister!"

The princess merely rolled her eyes.

Just after she finished her sentence, the door to her study was knocked. She granted access. The royal herald came in. He was panting heavily like he just ran a few miles. Elsa had known him as the son of one of her servants. The man's face was a little bit flushed when he saw the Queen looked at him with confusion.

"Heavens, Georg! What in the world happened to you?" Elsa asked.

He took a few steady breath before he handed the Queen a letter in his hand.

"This just came in, Your Majesty. It said confidential and urgent. So I ran from my post to here."

The platinum blonde haired woman rolled her eyes. In a swift motion, she turned the letter on her hand and saw a familiar royal seal embedded on it. She ripped open the letter carefully and was greeted with a familiar neat handwriting inside. Her gaze trail every words in the letter.

Anna looked at her sister and saw how Elsa's face grew paler as she read the letter. Snow started to fall around her. The princess was alarmed in an instant. This could only mean something bad. Whenever there was snow falling around the Queen, it was never a good sign.

"Elsa? What is it?" she asked carefully.

Elsa put her hands on her mouth before she turned her gaze towards Anna.

"Oh, God. It's from one of our intelligence. The Southern Isles had fallen. Every member of the royal family was killed. But they didn't know who did it. It happened over night."

The princess let out a gasp. "All of them? No one survived?"

"The letter said so. The government collapsed, the civil unrest grew worse each day, it was practically a chaos in there. It would only a matter of time before the civil war begin."

A realisation struck Anna. Her eyes widened. "Elsa, do you think all of this has something to do with Hans coming here? Could it be possible that he escaped to avoid the same fate as his other family members?"

The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose in between her eyes before she shook her head. "I honestly don't know, Anna. But it can't be a coincidence either. The only person who knows the answer is Hans."

Now he was useless to them because of his condition. Elsa said internally. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Elsa was doubtful that he would make it. After witnessing his physical condition herself, she was already surprised that the man could stay alive when he reached the castle gates. She also couldn't put her fingers on his motive. Why did he come here and told her about her parents? How could it be possible for her parents to be alive?

Elsa let out a frustrated sigh. All of those questions just kept cramming down her brain. The more she thought about it, the more severe her headache pounded.

"What are you going to do about the Isles, then?" Kristoff asked this time.

"Well, I can't just step in without causing further conflict. I think remaining neutral would be the best course of action. We could take the refugees if a few decided to flee. I'm sure sooner or later, the northern alliances would make a move to handle the situation, but until then, there's not much we could do."

Anna frowned. "I just can't imagine what the people there are going through. It must be pretty horrifying. It almost felt like French Revolution all over again."

* * *

After helping Anna with the preparation for the Princess's birthday ball, Elsa went to the infirmary to check on her current prisoner. She was hoping he could get better so she could get the answer to all of the questions that kept nagging in her mind. There were a few guards posted outside and inside of the infirmary. They bowed to their Queen once she passed them. The royal physician, doctor Pieter Gustav rose from his seat upon seeing her.

"How's the prisoner's condition, doctor?" Elsa asked.

The doctor led her to one of the bed that was occupied by Hans.

Elsa could see clearly his condition. It was far worse than before. His eyes were shut, most of his features was still hidden behind those thick facial hair. The shirt he was wearing when he was brought up had been discarded and he was literally bare chested with a bandage wrapped around his torso. Elsa was lying if she said she wasn't feeling a little bit sorry for what happened to him. He lost a lot of weight. He wasn't the same well-built prince like he was eight years ago. He almost looked like a sick man, and to be perfectly honest it made her queasy at the mere sight of him.

"He's still unconscious, Your Majesty. The wound in his stomach was not deep enough to damaged his internal organ, but it was left untreated for a few days, made it vulnerable against infection. He lost a lot of blood, suffered from malnutrition, his ribs were broken, I'm actually surprised he's still breathing. He caught a fever this afternoon, which is a sign of infection. What I can tell you is that the prognosis doesn't look good."

Elsa frowned. She didn't want him dead! She needed answers! He was the only one who could give them to her!

"Can't you do something about it, doctor? Don't you have any cure or something?"

Sombrely the doctor shook his head. "I gave him a natural remedy that hopefully could work, but the problem is, ma'am, given his weak condition and the malnutrition, I don't think he would make it."

The Queen let out a sigh. "How long?"

"I can't be sure, but I don't think he would make it through the night."

Elsa wondered if all of the visible scars on his body was caused by the time of his imprisonment in the Southern Isles? If he'd been tried here in Arendelle, she was sure that he would face a fair trial because she never allowed all kinds of torture even though they're criminals. If he didn't make it, she would never get her answer.

"There is, however, another way, I think, Your Majesty." Doctor Gustav said carefully. A little bit unsure about what he was saying.

"What is it?"

"Uh, I'm not sure how to put it. It's not really my place to say. Uh, permission to speak freely, Ma'am?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she said to the doctor to just speak to her about whatever he was thinking, it seemed his navy background still embedded in him. Old habit die hard.

"Go ahead, doctor."

"Your nephew, Prince Alek, probably could help."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed and slowly, very slowly realisation appeared on her face. She cursed herself internally. Why didn't she think about it before? It was actually the solution! Alek with his healing ability should be able to help Hans. _Wait!_ Elsa contemplated. Did she really want the six year old boy to be near this man? The one who tried to murder her and his mother! What would Alek think about it? If he knows the truth, Elsa was afraid the boy would only do more damage rather than fix it. _He doesn't need to know, does he?_ A tiny voice sounded in her head. Probably not. But his mother still has a right to know, and she didn't want to overstep, after all he was Anna's son.

"Did I say something wrong, Your Majesty?" doctor Gustav asked. He was afraid that he had offended the Queen. It wasn't really his intention. Because it seemed to him the Queen wanted this man to live.

The platinum blonde shook her head and smiled gently at the physician. "No, doctor. That's actually a good suggestion. But I need to talk to my sister first."

Gustav nodded. He understood how complicated the situation must be for Queen Elsa. He wasn't in Arendelle when the eternal winter happened because he was on the mission with one of Arendelle's warship to accompany their trading vessel. But he heard enough story about what happened that particular day. Especially about this particular man he tried to save. In his current condition, it was hard to imagined him swung a sword over his Queen's head. He didn't look like a murderer to him. He looked like someone who had been through hell.

Elsa left the infirmary and went to see her sister. She wasn't sure how Anna would take it to the idea. But what choice did she had? If they just let him die, she would never know the answer and the truth. She made her way to the north wing where the royal family's apartment was located. Just as she thought, she found Anna was playing with Alek and Adeline in the north drawing room. Well more like playing with Adeline, because it seemed the six year old was too engrossed with the thick book in front of him.

"Hi, aunty!" greeted Alek without even averted his gaze from the book.

The Queen had to raised an eyebrow. How did he? She soon shook her head, _doesn't matter._ She smiled to her nephew.

"Hello, Alek. I haven't seen you today!"

Only then the little prince looked up and gave her a grin. "Well, you had a council meeting very early in the morning and my lesson took longer because I was curious about this remedy to treat infection. So I asked Sir Erlinger to show me how to do that. Oh, do you know that garlic has an anti-viral properties? With the right preparation, it could be one of the most powerful natural remedy for infection! There should be more studies about it, don't you think, aunt Elsa?" He rambled. His turquoise blue eyes brightened in excitement.

Elsa wondered if it was a good thing or not letting the boy learn about all those heavy stuff that even she as adult couldn't understand? But then again, she herself mastered algebra and an intermediate level of geometry when she was his age. Perhaps not really bad? She shrugged.

"Sure, maybe there would be more studies about it in the future, my darling." she ruffled his hair before she turned to her sister.

"Anna, can I talk to you for a second?" The Queen mentioned Anna towards the balcony.

The strawberry blonde nodded. "Alek will you keep an eye on your sister for a little while, my love?"

"Okay." Soon the boy joined her sister in the playmate.

Once both sisters were out of earshot, Anna asked. "Have you been to the infirmary? How's his condition?"

Elsa shook her head. "Worse, Anna. It seemed to me his imprisonment in the Southern Isles was worse than I thought. There were clear evidence of repeated torture in his body, it was terrible. The doctor said his prognosis doesn't look good. The wound was infected, his ribs were broken, he also suffered malnutrition. Doctor Gustave aren't even sure if he would make it through the night."

Anna grimaced. "Is it bad that I feel sorry for him? I know he'd done some terrible things but honestly everything that he'd been through doesn't make me feel better. Isn't it supposed to make you feel better when someone who tried to hurt you got what he deserved?"

"I thought so too."

"What are you going to do, then? If he doesn't make it, we would never know the answer, right?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about."

"Okay?"

"Anna, there is one way we could help him."

"How?"

"Alek could help him. With his ability I'm sure he could heal Hans, then we might have a chance to find out the truth about everything."

Anna went silent in an instant. It was a great idea, actually. She was sure Alek could easily heal Hans with a flick of his wrists. But remembering everything that man had ever did to her and her sister made the fire inside lighted up again. How could she help the man who didn't even hesitate to kill her and her sister whenever he had a chance? Say, he'd heal, what could guarantee him to not try to finish what he started eight years ago? What if everything had been a well planned trick of his just like the last time? He was the most manipulative man of the century and by far the most dangerous man she had ever met. The thought of her son being near that man just made her sick to the stomach. Especially thinking the possibility of her son getting hurt because of him.

"No!" Anna refused firmly. She clenched her teeth.

"Anna, he is the only one who knows the answer to everything." Elsa tried to reason.

The princess frowned. "No, listen to me, Elsa. Think about it. What makes you so sure that this isn't just another one of his devious plot to overthrow us again?"

"I don't know if he's hatching up another plan or anything, but Anna, if there's even a slightest chance that mama and papa are still out there, we have to find out! Don't you want to know the truth about it too?"

"I do. I'm like you, I want to find out too. But don't you think everything that he said was absurd? How could mama and papa survived when the scouting party that we sent eleven years ago clearly stated the ship sank and there was no way for them to survive that storm."

"But they never found their bodies." The Queen argued.

"Yes, so did the bodies of almost everyone on board their ship. I'm sorry, Elsa, trust me I want to know the truth as much as you do. But the thought of Alek being near that man, I just… I can't." Anna added.

Elsa bit her bottom lip. Anna made her point. It was too absurd to be the truth. The possibility was slim now that she thought about it. There was no way they could've survived the storm. But there was also this knot that appeared in the pit of her stomach every time she thinks about it. Call it a gut feeling or whatever, but she couldn't shake it ever since the words left Hans's mouth. She let out a sigh before closing her eyes.

"I understand, Anna."

"You do?"

Elsa turned and gave her sister a weak smile. "Yes. You're just trying to protect Alek. That's understandable."

Anna pulled her sister into an embrace before they went back to joined the children.

"Alek, I haven't seen you at all today, didn't you miss me? I didn't even get a hug." Elsa teased with a playful pout.

The boy giggled before he threw himself in his aunt's arms. " _Jo da, jeg savner deg så mye, tante!_ " he exclaimed.

Elsa chuckled and held the boy close before she showered him with sloppy kisses. That earned more giggles out of him. " _Jeg savner deg også, min kjære!_ "

* * *

 ** _Jo da, jeg savner deg så mye, tante! : Yes of course, I miss you so much, auntie!_**

 _ **Jeg savner deg også, min kjære! : I miss you too, my dear!**_

 **a/n: Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favourites, thank you for pointing out my mistakes, this is my first fanfiction, I do want to make it right. So, if you found some plot holes, or things that just doesn't make sense, please feel free to let me know. I love receiving constructive criticism.**

 **Fun Fact: Alek's tutor, Sir Erlinger was also the one who tutored Elsa and Anna when they were younger, based on the book A Frozen Heart.**

 **P.S: I'm not Norwegian (obviously) so if you see some translation that doesn't match or wrong, feel free to point out. Next chapter will be posted soon and you'll get to meet more familiar faces as we go!**

 **\- B -**


	4. The Alternate Solution

Elsa stood in the balcony of her bedchamber. Her hair was loose and draped over her left shoulder. Her gaze fixated on the calm waters of the fjords. The gentle wind from the summer breeze blew away a few strands of her platinum blonde hair. She always liked gazing at the landscape at this time of night. Everything was ghost-quiet except for the rustle from the wind that whispered against the tree leaf. The sky brightened with millions of stars spread all around the horizon like a blanket draped over its darkness. It felt soothing and relaxing.

At the sight of the water, her mind wandered to a fond memory of her childhood. The corner of her lips twitched upwards. She closed her eyes and let herself emerged into the memory.

 _"Papa, what makes a good leader?" Ten year old Elsa asked._

 _The king looked up from the document he was reading, carefully put it back on his desk before he walked towards his daughter and sat beside her on the couch._

 _"A good leader my dear, is the one who put the people's need first before theirs. A good leader has to be strong, objective, kind and fair. Their lives will be dedicated fully to the service of the country and the people."_

 _"But what if we can't fulfil their needs? You said it before, we can't please everybody."_

 _"Well, if that's the case, make sure you're there with them. You may not be able to fulfil everything they need, but show them you care and be there for them."_

 _"Do you think I would make a good Queen?" the princess asked while lowering her head. She frowned while she looked down at her hands._

 _"Oh, I know you will." King Agnarr put his arms around Elsa's shoulder._

 _"Even with this power?"_

 _"Yes, once you gain control over your power, you can use it for good. Remember, Elsa, always think about the greater good. In this line of work, there will be a lot of obstacles coming your way, there'll be politics, influences, bad situations that will knock you down sometimes, but always, always put the interest of the people first."_

That was exactly what she did in the last eight years of her reign. Her father was right. The obstacles were endless. Some easy to overcome, some harder, especially when it comes to politics. She found politics to be a nasty game to be played, but if played well, it could give a lot of advantages. She sighed before looking up at the sky. _Where are you, Papa, mama? Are you watching over us now, or are you still out there somewhere?_

"Aunt Elsa?" called a tiny voice from the inside of her bedchamber.

Elsa turned around and found Alek was standing by the window of the balcony in his sleep wear.

"Alek? What are you doing here, sweetheart?" She walked towards him and let the boy inside.

The six years old easily climbed into the Queen's bed and crossed his legs. "I can't sleep."

"Nightmare?" Elsa guessed.

"No. It's just my brain. It won't stop working! I'm always thinking!" He extended his arms before landed his back on the soft mattress dramatically.

The platinum blonde chuckled in amusement. She closed the window to the balcony before joining her nephew on her bed.

"I think it's normal, darling. It means you're alive." Elsa pulled him closer before landed a kiss on top of his head.

This was not something new. Elsa never knew why, but whenever the boy couldn't sleep, he always came to her.

"Can I stay here, aunty?" he asked while giving his aunt the puppy dog eyes he knew Elsa could never resist.

Elsa pursed her lips when she saw the old trick. After contemplating awhile, she finally gave up. How could she ever say no to those adorable eyes? "Alright, of course you can stay."

"Yay! Will you tell me a story?"

The Queen helped the boy positioned himself into a more comfortable position. "Hmm, you know what, you said you couldn't stop thinking, why don't you tell me, what are you thinking about?"

From the previous experience, it was always good to let the boy let out what he was thinking. Elsa knew he was just excited about the new things he learnt that day and wanted to share it with someone. Usually Alek would finally exhaust himself with all the talking and finally dozed off.

Upon hearing what his aunt suggested, the little prince nodded eagerly. "Okay, this is going to be a looong story."

Elsa chuckled again and ran her hands softly on his short strawberry blonde hair. "Go ahead. I'm ready!" she said while giving him the same excited look as if she was ready for whatever adventure he was going to tell her.

"So, I told you Sir Erlinger told me about a remedy that could cure infection, right. I never knew that Garlic could be one of the most powerful ingredient especially when it combined with other stuff, like honey, apple cider vinegar, and horseradish root. He also told me how infection affected our bodies. Oh, fun fact auntie, do you know that cold environment could slow down bacterial growth? Even freezing level of temperature could actually kill the bacteria because the ice crystal rupture their membranes." Alek started rambling everything he had learnt that day.

Nope. She certainly never knew that. When she was his age, Elsa preferred to learn more about building and structure. For her it was fascinating. Especially imagining a majestic structure that made out of ice. Much like her ice palace. The idea of that palace came from her childhood imagination. She even drew the structure on a piece of paper and calculated every numbers required to build that building. She had to smiled internally remembering the exhilarating feeling she got when her magic responded to her every thoughts and feelings. How good it felt to finally let it all out and built something she once thought was impossible to do.

"So, next time someone got an infection, maybe you could help them, auntie." the boy finished his explanation.

For a second, his words sounded muffled in her ears as she drifted away to her own thought.

"Why do say that?" Elsa shook her head a little and trained her focus back to the boy.

Alek rolled back his eyes. "I told you, cold temperature could slow bacterial growth and freezing temperature could kill the bacteria. You're the Snow Queen, you could freeze anything. So, I thought the next time someone got infected, maybe you could help them slow down the bacteria."

Something clicked inside Elsa's mind. _That's it!_ That was the answer she had been looking for! Her heart filled with a newly formed optimism and hope. Maybe this time, she could really get the answer. She looked at her nephew and gave him the biggest smile while she cupped his round face.

"Alek, you are a genius!" she exclaimed.

The boy blushed a little but let out a giggle. "You think so?"

"I know so! I am so proud of you!" Elsa said wholeheartedly and landed another kiss on his cheek.

The young prince snuggled closer to his aunt. From his body language it was clear that he started to wind down. A yawn escaped his mouth.

The Queen pulled up the duvet and wrapped it around the boy. "Are you sleepy, yet?"

"A little. Can you sing for me, aunty?"

"What do you want me to sing?"

" _Sulla meg litt_."

With a smile, Elsa started to sing the old folk song.

Alek played with his aunt platinum blonde locks while his eyes felt heavier and heavier. Her cold embrace just made it feel even better. There was no one who could sing better than his aunt, he thought while slowly his mind started to feel hazy. In a matter of minutes, he drifted into a state of comfortable deep slumber.

" _Godt natt, min lille venn, drøym søtt._ " she whispered.

After making sure, her nephew is safe and sound in her bed, Elsa slowly slipped out of the bed. She reached for her robe and crept out of the room carefully not to make a noise that could disturb her nephew's sleep. She made her way to the infirmary. The castle was so quiet at this time of night as most of its inhabitants were already fall asleep. The only activity around the castle was a group of night watch guards that patrolled in every parts of the castle. They casted her a curious look as she passed them, probably wondering why their Queen would be wondering around the castle in the middle of the night.

Once she reached her destination, she spotted doctor Gustav was changing the wound dressing on Hans's torso. He looked so focus that he didn't even notice Elsa's presence.

"Doctor." she called out.

The fifty year old man jerked slightly. He turned around and instantly bowed to her. "Your Majesty."

"At ease, doctor. I want to ask you something regarding his condition." she motioned towards the man who was lying in the bed.

Gustav nodded.

"Is it true, that cold temperature could slow bacterial growth?"

The doctor furrowed his brow slightly. Why would she ask him that? He wondered. "Well yes, Your Majesty, it could. Freezing temperature could even…"

"Kill the bacteria, because the ice crystal is more likely to rupture their membranes." Elsa continued. A bright smile plastered on her face.

The older man let out a chuckle. "Exactly, ma'am. But I still don't understand why you ask me this question."

"Say, doctor, if I freeze his wound, would it slow down the infection?"

A realisation struck him. He knew exactly what the Queen intended to do. He gave it a thought for a second. It was actually a great idea. Why hadn't he figured it out sooner? The answer was right in front of him!

"That's actually a brilliant idea, Ma'am. Yes, yes it could! The cold temperature could slow down the infection and give the natural remedy time to take it's full effect while at the same time giving a chance for his immune system to fight of the infection!" he moved quickly into Hans's side. He applied the natural remedy into the wound.

"Tell me, is there any garlic in there, doctor?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, ma'am. This is a combination of raw honey and garlic. Very effective for healing a wound. Is there a problem, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, no. It's just that my nephew, Alek has been so excited about learning this natural remedy to treat infection. He wouldn't stop talking about it. He was actually the one who gave me the idea to freeze the wound."

The doctor smiled. He knew the little prince was way too smart for his age. Whenever he had a chance to encounter the boy, Alek would always asking any medical related question that even adult found difficult. The boy was special. He remembered the day Alek was born. He had worried almost everybody in the kingdom because he came in early at only 35 weeks. Everybody kept a close eyes on him every minute of everyday. Though his motor development was slow when he was younger, his cognitive development developed more rapidly in contrast. He heard a similar story happened to the Queen herself when she was born from Gerda. Perhaps it had more to do with the genetic in the family.

"Prince Alek is a very smart boy, Your Majesty. I'm sure he would achieve many great things in the future."

The platinum blonde smiled fondly at the thought of the boy. Oh, she never had a doubt about it.

Gustav finally finished applying the remedy into the wound.

Elsa tried not to cringe when she saw the wound without any bandage. It was nastier. She observed the wound closer and determined how she should proceed. It must be very painful for him if he hadn't been unconscious. She brought her left palm to hover slightly above the wound. Her power responded quickly and flowed through her veins before the blue light emitted from her palm.

Doctor Gustav watched it and was quite in awe. Even though he had seen the Queen did her magic many-many times, it still never ceased to amazed him. Sure a few people were a little bit weary about her ability especially the first few months after the eternal winter happened. But Gustav never had a doubt in his mind that Queen Elsa would never abuse her power to do something bad. She had proven herself to be the kindhearted and fair ruler in this land by increasing the prosperity of the kingdom and the quality of life for the citizens. Now here she was, willing to save a man who was once tried to behead her. He wasn't sure he would do the same thing if he had been put in her situation. He probably would be more than happy to let the man died. He smiled in admiration towards his sovereign.

"I think that should do it." Elsa finally said. The wound was covered in a layer of frost.

"We may need to thaw the ice and re-apply the ointment twice a day, Your Majesty."

"Yes, of course. Not a problem for me."

Now she was positive that she would get her answer, soon. That was the most important thing.

* * *

The next morning, Elsa was busy discussing the preparation for the ball to honour Anna's upcoming birthday next weeks. The invitations had been sent out a week ago. Elsa had planned the biggest surprise that she was sure Anna would be thrilled. She just received a letter that confirmed the surprise would definitely happening. A door to her study was knocked.

"Enter." she granted.

Kai, master of the royal household entered the room in his usual green attire. He bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, I came to inform you that the official vessel from Corona had just docked in our port a few minutes ago, ma'am. King Frederic and Queen Arianna are coming a little bit earlier than expected."

Well, it was actually a nice surprise. It has been quite sometimes since the last time she met with her uncle and aunt. The last time she met them was when they came to Anna and Krisoff's wedding. A smile grazed upon the Queen's face. She dismissed her staff immediately.

"We'll receive them in the north drawing room, Kai." Elsa instructed.

"Very well, ma'am."

She made her way to the nursery where she saw Anna earlier. Her sister was still there with Adeline. Anna seemed to concentrate teaching the two years old about different kinds of colours.

"Anna, Uncle Frederic and Aunt Arianna are here." Elsa said.

The princess turned to her sister. "Wait what? You mean, here here? Here in Arendelle?"

"Yes. Come along, we'll receive them in the North drawing room."

Anna picked Adeline up and made her way to the drawing room. Usually it was customary to receive visiting foreign dignitaries in the throne room that located in East Wing of the castle. But because the Corona's royal family was still blood relatives to Arendelle's royal family, that formality would be excluded. Anna was actually happy to see her aunt and uncle after so many years. They attended her wedding and King Frederic was also the one who walked her down the aisle and officially gave her away.

"Don't you think they're a little bit early for the party? Not that I'm complaining though." Anna asked her sister once they were inside the drawing room. The strawberry blonde put Adeline down and the two years old immediately went to her aunt.

"Yes. Maybe they're just wanted to spend more time with us before the party."

"Antt Echaa snowfecksss pweeaasseee!" Adeline bounced up and down.

The Queen laughed and conjured up small snowflake for her niece to play. Soon the little princess was too distracted with the pretty snowflake to even pay attention to her surrounding.

Soon, Kai entered the room. Elsa and Anna stood at the same time before he announced, "His Majesty, King Frederic Leopold of Corona, and Her Majesty, Queen Arianna Primrose of Corona!"

From behind Kai, two familiar faces walked in to the room. Their features looked different as both the King and Queen aged gracefully. They exchanged formal bows and curtsies to each other before Elsa stepped in and gave her uncle a cheek to cheek kiss.

"Hello, uncle." Elsa smiled softly at the tall man.

"My dearest niece, let me look at you!" the older man said while his eyes went glassy for a second. "You've grown into such a beautiful woman, my dear. Just like your mother."

"And as you are I may say, uncle, quite unchanged, as handsome as ever." she complimented back.

They both laughed before Elsa turned to her aunt. "Hello, aunty." she did the same thing to Queen Arianna. However this time, the Queen consort pulled her into an embrace.

"We missed you so much!" Queen Arianna said.

"So do we, aunty. How's Rapunzel, Eugene and the twins?" Anna asked as she expected her cousin would be coming.

"Well, they're good. The twins however are still very fond of causing misfits around the castle." Arianna smirked.

Elsa giggled remembering Rapunzel's twin boys. "They're quite a handful, aren't they?"

"Ugh, don't I know it." the King rolled his eyes.

"We are delighted that you could come. I must say though, it's a bit sooner than expected." The platinum blonde.

"Well, my dear that's because I have something I need to talk to you about. Something urgent." King Frederic explained.

"I assumed it would be a state business related?"

"Yes, regarding the Kingdom of the Southern Isles to be exact."

* * *

 **Uh-oh, what exactly does King Frederic of Corona knows about The Southern Isles?**

 **A/N: I made a little mistake about Alek's age. Now after I calculated, he's actually six years old. For those of you wondering about the ages of the MCs in the story, here it is:**

 **This takes place eight years after the movie, that would be 1847. (According to Disney Wikia, frozen takes place on 1839):**

 **Elsa (29), Anna (26), Kristoff (29), Hans (31), Alek (6), Adeline (2).**


	5. Most Likely Scenario

"I'm sure you're already know about what happened in the Southern Isles, yes?" King Frederic asked once he and Elsa settled in her study.

"Yes, uncle. My intelligence said the Isles had fallen. The entire royal family was killed. I still can't believe it, myself." Elsa said before she took a sip of her tea that just been served.

She decided it would be a good idea to talk about the state business in her study. She had a feeling that she might not like whatever it is her uncle was going to tell her.

"So am I. And the situation just got worse each days. The Northern Alliances need to take an immediate action. The United Kingdom, Corona, and Eldoran had formed a join task force to gather information about what really happened in there. Upon the investigation, we found that indeed the entire royal family had been killed. But a few things just doesn't make sense. The manner of their deaths, seemed unnatural."

The young Queen curled her brows. "Unnatural, how?"

"There weren't a lot of signs of disturbance around the castle. My guess would be they didn't get a chance to attack. Each and every one in the castle was murdered instantly. I've known the King of the Southern Isles for a long time, he was not someone who would go down without a fight."

"Then who could possibly do that?"

King Frederic stroke his thick beard with his hand. "Are you familiar with the Kingdom of Bergen, Elsa?"

Elsa heard the story about that when she was younger. Bergen was a very peaceful kingdom, ruled by a fierce but fair ruler. It was famous for it's pleasant weather and rich natural resources such as gold. Until one day, they were under attack by an unknown assailant that killed the entire population of the country in only one night. Soon after the attack no one was able to reach that place anymore. People who had tried to gain access to that place banished without a trace.

"Bergen is an old myth, uncle. It was just some old scary fairytale, what does that have to do with the Southern Isles?" the corner of her lips twitched slightly. Her tone held a hint of amusement.

"Well, I thought a magical golden flower was a myth too. Before you were born, I thought a wielder of ice was nothing short of a wild imagination."

Touché, Elsa thought. Her frowned deepened. "So, you're saying that whoever attacked the Southern Isles, was also the same person who attacked Bergen? Do we even know if Bergen really exists?"

Frederic held up his hands and shook his head. "I can't be sure, but looking at the pattern of the attack and the other similarities, I couldn't help but make the connection, I doubt that anyone would even believe my theory. Anyway, it wasn't really our priority right now. We have a more pressing matter in our hands. With the instability of the Southern Isles political situation, Weselton had tried to take advantage of their direct neighbour. Claiming to try to restore peace, the pompous duke of weaseltown had sent envoy and man power to the Isles, but what he really did was in the purpose of exploiting what was left of the Isles."

Elsa groaned at the mention of the small man who was once tried to do the same thing to her kingdom. It would be no surprise that Weselton would do such thing. They had lost a good amount of trade partners after what the duke did the night of her coronation and the discovery of their exploits towards Arendelle's and other kingdoms tradable goods. They must see the fall of their direct neighbour as one of the opportunity to literally squeezed whatever was left of the Southern Isles's fortunes and riches.

"The Northern Alliances could not let that happen. A few days after receiving the news about the Isles, the task force then found something more. They gathered all bodies of each members of the royal family, to give them a proper burial, they found the king's body and all of his offsprings except one. We all know that King Balder had thirteen sons, but they could only found twelve of them with the rest of the family. We don't know which one of his sons managed to escape the ordeal."

Oh, she knew exactly who that person was. She just wasn't sure if he would be able to give the information they needed about what really happened in the Southern Isles, given his current condition and his unpredictable chance of recovery. The doctor told her this morning that he still had a fever but he managed to pull through the night. Other than that, he hadn't make any promising improvement despite her effort to freeze his wound.

"Upon this discovery, Queen Victoria as the Grand Ambassador of the Northern Alliances told me that she wanted to initiate another task force to search for the lost prince of the Southern Isles. That was why she and the other dignitaries, especially those who enlisted as members of the Alliances would arrive here a few days early before the party. She thought it would be a good time to hold a conference here and specifically to ask for Arendelle's assistance. They knew with the strain you have with the Isles after what happened eight years ago, you might be reluctant to provide one." Frederic continued.

Elsa grimaced slightly. She disliked the idea of other nation saw her as a selfish cold hearted Queen who would not think about the greater good all because of the fault of one person. "I may be the snow Queen, uncle, but I'm not a ruthless tyrant. To think that they even thought of me that way just … upsetting." She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Oh, you're anything but ruthless, my dear. Quite the opposite really. But they don't know you personally as I do. So I guess you can't really blame them either."

The platinum blonde sighed. "I guess so. Well, I don't think a search party is necessary now."

"Why is that?"

"Because the very person that you are looking for, is now lying unconscious in the castle's infirmary, fighting for his life."

The king's mouth went agape. He wasn't expecting this at all. "Which one is it, do you know?"

"Yes. The one who tried to behead me and usurp my crown eight years ago. Hans Westergaard."

"You got to be kidding me!" the bulky man ran his hands through his hair.

"He showed up here a few days ago, badly beaten and barely alive. He's still unconscious, so he could not help us now. At least not until he wakes up and responsive."

Frederic's face creased. Now things just got a little more complicated. He knew exactly what the other members of the Alliances would do. Given the urgency of the situation. He just wished there were other alternatives. He sighed. "This just got a whole lot harder."

"Why?" Elsa took another sip of her tea.

The Coronan King stood up from his seat and began pacing. "The initial purpose of putting together this search party was to find the lost prince of the Southern Isles and eventually put him on the throne as the rightful heir."

"But Hans is not a prince anymore. King Balder wrote to me informing about his punishment. He was stripped off of his title, he doesn't have any right to inherit anymore."

"You see, Elsa, that's exactly what I'm afraid of."

"Please do elaborate, uncle." The way her uncle paced in front of her only heightened her own anxiety.

"The other members of the Alliances might feel the need to vote a notion to restore his title."

Elsa leaned back on her seat, closed hand resting on her left cheek with the index finger pointing upwards. Her jaw clenched and her body went stiff at her uncle's words. This wasn't exactly what she imagined things were going to turn out. The thought of him being on the throne of the Southern Isles actually terrified her. How could a criminal like him be qualified to sit on the throne?

"But King Balder is dead now, who has the authority to do it?" she asked with caution.

Frederic stopped his steps and turned to look at her niece straight in her cerulean blue eyes.

"You, my dear."

This time she sat up straight in shock. "Wait, what?"

Frederic sat down again, hoping he could explain everything as best as he could. "Tell me, did you or did you not order his immediate arrest if he ever set foot again in Arendelle?"

"Yes, of course! I can't just let him roam around my kingdom after what he'd done. What do you expect?"

"That means, he's officially under your custody now. You're his legal captor. You are the only one who has full authority upon him. I bet the other members would definitely ask you to consider waiving his punishment and give him back his title."

She scoffed in disbelief. "They can't possibly do that! He's a criminal for heaven's sake! He tried to swung a sword over my head eight years ago, and now we want to put a crown on his head? Have they really lost their mind?!" the young Queen was boiling with rage.

Frederic noticed a small blizzard swirling around the room, but harmless enough for him to be worried. The temperature dropped slightly. "I'm with you, Elsa. I don't agree to put him on the throne, but the other nations could easily justified his action eight years ago as an heroic attempt to save Arendelle, and he didn't really mean to kill you without reason."

Elsa rubbed her temples as her headache came back suddenly in full force. She could not believe it! Whatever his reason was, it was clear that he wanted to usurp her crown by getting rid of her and her sister. He manipulated her little sister and took advantage of the situation. How could the other dignitaries even justified what he did?

Frost started to crept up in her seat as she grasped the side of her chair. "This is unbelievable! Why can't the Northern Alliances find some other solution instead of putting a criminal on the throne? A regent could do it!" Elsa was practically yelling at her uncle now.

Frederic spoke more gently this time. "I know how preposterous it might sound. But you have to see it in other's perspective too. It is a chaos now in the Southern Isles, everyday a lot of innocent people dies and suffers. With the Weselton now trying to colonised that place, it is a better alternative. If we just appoint an unknown regent, there might be a new sets of other conflict. The people cannot afford that."

Elsa's shoulder slumped on her sides. She closed her eyes and her father's words rang inside.

 _Remember Elsa, always think about the greater good._

She could imagined how terrible the situation in the Southern Isles right now. In her head she could see countless of women and children suffered everyday. But she also still could not condone of what Hans's done eight years ago. She still thought he deserved to be punished. _Didn't he'd suffered enough already with the tortures he endured during his imprisonment?_ A tiny voice inside her head tried to reason. She let out a defeated sigh. Now the fate of this nation lies in her hand and she didn't know what to do.

Frederic moved to Elsa's side. He knew exactly what his niece was feeling. He knew behind the facade of her regal appearance, she had carried the weight of the world on her shoulders ever since she was very young. He just wanted to ease her mind. He closed his hands around hers while he levelled down in front of her.

"Listen to me, Elsa. You don't have to decide it now, I'm just asking you to consider, because once the Alliances learn about everything, it would be the most likely scenario."

Elsa looked at her uncle and found compassion on his blue eyes that mirrored hers.

"I know it's hard but you don't have to go through it alone. I will be there with you, every step of the way, okay?" he continued.

The platinum blonde smiled softly. Her heart warmed up at her uncle's encouragement. It calmed her down in an instant. Just like her mama used to do, she could almost see a part of her mother in the eyes of the King.

"Thank you for telling me all of this. You have no idea how grateful I am for your guidance, uncle." she said wholeheartedly.

The king placed his hand on Elsa's cheek. "That's what families are for, my dear. You have done an exceptional job for the last eight years, even better than your father ever did. For that I am so proud of you. I'm sure your parents would be too if they were here."

To Elsa's surprise, her uncle had pulled her into a tight embrace. Even though she'd known them better now, it was still surprising how fond her uncle and aunt of warm embrace. She guessed that particular trait was actually hereditary.

"This thing doesn't get easier, does it?" she asked after Frederic pulled away.

"What? Running a kingdom?" he scoffed. "No it's not. But, you'll be fine, Elsa."

"I'll think about it, uncle. But I'm not promising anything."

* * *

Hans opened his eyes and was greeted by the blurriness around him. His head was pounding so bad. The light that pierced suddenly through his cornea made him blinked. Slowly the blurriness dissipated and his field of focus expanded. The first thing he noticed was the white ceiling with a pattern of rosemaling design, followed by a sharp unpleasant smell that hit his nostril. He also felt a weird cold sensation on his torso. Where was he? He turned to to his left side and saw a familiar figure was looking down at his stomach. Her platinum blonde hair was draped over her left shoulder while her face contorted in concentration. Her palm hovered above his stomach and he felt the cold slowly gone before it was replaced by a sharp pain.

He croaked out a moan but sounded strangled. It was then he realised how dry his throat was. The woman jumped slightly, clearly startled and looked straight at him. Her eyes went wide.

"Doctor, he's awake!" she called out.

A man appeared behind her and positioned himself beside him. Hans could guess immediately that he was the royal physician. The man took a good look at him.

"Sir, can you hear me?" he asked.

Hans winced at another pain that shot from his stomach to the surrounding nerve endings. "Yes." his voice was raspy.

He tried to sat up but the older man held him.

"Easy there, lad. You just regained your consciousness, lay back down."

"What… what happened?"

"You're in Arendelle now. You were brought in a very bad condition. You caught an infection but Queen Elsa managed to freeze your wound to slow the bacterial growth and give a chance for your immune system to fight off the infection naturally, with the help of the remedy I made."

He turned to the woman next to the doctor. Her skin was still as pale as he remembered eight years ago. Her braided hair still had the same subtle dusty sparkle on it, only this time, instead of that shiny crystal blue ice dress, she wore a simple grey over the shoulder evening dress with teal blue rosemaling embroidery on it. He couldn't read her expression. There weren't any trace of those frightened terror on her cerulean blue eyes anymore. Now they were calm and surprisingly warm.

Suddenly everything was coming back to him. He remembered how he got here and the very reason he got here. He was about to say something but the pain gripped so hard he had to cried out. The doctor had applied the remedy and he could smell that sharp smell again. It was from his remedy. It stink badly, there were hints of garlic and he didn't like that smell. His body still felt weak. His head pounded so bad but there were so much he wanted to say to her.

"It seemed to be working, Your Majesty. There were definitely changes in the wound. Though, not so much, but I'll say it's improvement." The doctor stated after observing his wound.

"Are you sure, doctor? So, I just have to keep freezing until it completely healed?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

The older man then excused himself to wash his hands. Leaving him with Queen Elsa herself.

The Queen hovered her palm once more before he felt a cold started to spread around his wound. Surprisingly it didn't bite and wasn't sharp. It instantly numbed the pain, made him sighed in relief.

"I…" he tried speak but his throat felt even scratchier. He cleared his throat.

She moved closer and took a glass of water on his bedside drawer.

"Here, drink this. You'll feel better." she said. Her tone was calm. She helped him straightened up a little and he took a sip of the water.

Silently he felt grateful after his throat finally lubricated with that liquid. He had to lay back down because it made him dizzy to hold himself up like that.

"I have… to tell you… something." his breathing laboured.

She put her hand on his forehead before he felt another pleasant coldness against her palm. "Yes. But not now. Your fever hasn't gone. Rest now, Hans." after a while she finally turned around and started to leave.

A sudden force of emotion hit him at his very core. Everything he'd ever done to her flashed before his eyes. Gripping him tight in a wave of massive guilt that swirled violently inside of him.

"I'm sorry…" he choked.

She stopped at her track. He could see through his blurry eyes, how her pale shoulder tensed upon his plead for a few second, before she walked away without even turning back.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **There you have it, Hans's finally awake. And what exactly Elsa's gonna do about Hans's fate? Will she relinquish his title or not? What about the other members of the Northern Alliances? How will they react?**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favourite, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. The next one will be updated soon.**

 **There might be appearance from another familiar characters in the disney universe and possibly outside? Stick around to find out more!**


	6. Unnatural Force

Two days after he regained consciousness, Hans still hadn't make a significant progress. His recovery was very slow. The only good news was that doctor Gustave told him he no longer had a fever which could be a good sign. That meant the infection was finally slowing down and the medicine worked. He was still in a very bad and weak condition. He could not even stand up straight for longer than a couple of minutes before his legs were either given up on him or he would have a massive headache that forced him to lie back down on the bed again. It frustrated him to be in such a vulnerable condition. The Queen herself still visited him twice a day to unfreeze and freeze his wound. She did that without hesitance.

He didn't understand why she would do that. The woman herself didn't seem to be bothered by his physical state. As a matter of fact not once Hans caught her wince, grimace, or even showed any emotion at all at the sight of his wound. She would just usually tended to his wound with the doctor, sometimes without words sometimes only talk when necessary with the royal physician. It made him uncomfortable. Of course it didn't seemed to matter for him at first because he was to weak to even paid any attention. But now that he felt more alert than the last couple of days, he finally realised the emotionless expression that written all over her face was actually contained with a hint of determination.

Now as she walked gracefully towards his bed, she still had that same facade. Her flawless posture held the air of authority that would make anybody feel intimidated, but the slight twitch of her thin lips and the calmness of her blue eyes softened her overall appearance. That alone enough to make everyone gave their respect without second thoughts.

Hans had propped himself to sat and leaned against the headboard of his bed. He guessed that her visit this time would not in the purpose of healing his wound but more of what he had been wanted to tell her ever since he first set foot in Arendelle again.

Doctor Gustave had pulled a chair for the Queen to sit beside his bed. She thanked him softly.

"I'm sorry, I would bow but my legs aren't strong enough to even stand." he gave her an easy smirk in which she didn't respond.

She rested both her hands on her lap.

"I'm sure you're aware of why I am here, so I suggest you start telling me the purpose of your visit to Arendelle this time." she started formally.

He had to held a frown at how straightforward the Queen was. He cleared his throat. "Where should I start?"

Elsa held her razor sharp glare towards him but did not answered. Her lips pressed together in a straight line.

Hans sighed and said, "I came here to inform you, Elsa. That your parents are still alive out there somewhere. I told you that before." If she was going to be blunt than he could to.

"It's Queen Elsa to you!" she hissed softly but held that icy undertone to her voice.

"Pardon me, Queen Elsa." he couldn't help but stressed the last two sentences in a sarcastic manner.

"How could you know that? My parents were dead eleven years ago, how is that even possible?"

This time, he felt a tiny spark of satisfaction when he caught a flash of frustration on her face. He decided to tell her everything that he witnessed just moments before he made his escape through a hidden passageway on his father's study. About his father's last conversation with that evil witch. Even until now he still couldn't figure out what kind of person that witch was. Everything that she did seemed surreal. As to what kind of magic that she wielded, he could not be sure, but he knew it was very powerful. He had never seen something like that before. That woman could literally inflict damage to her victim without any weapon and it looked like she tormented the victim from inside their own body.

Elsa listened to every words that came out of his mouth. Her mind drifted to the conversation she had with her uncle in her study two days ago. King Frederic told her that the death of the entire royal family seemed unnatural. She didn't want to believe it because everything just seemed impossible. Now with Hans's new information, everything seemed to fit. It was still bizarre and sounded nonsensical to her, but the obvious link was there.

"How could you even managed to escape from there to here especially with your condition? What happened during your escape?" she asked with a deep knitted brows.

Hans gritted his teeth as his mind automatically rewinded the unpleasant memory. Everything had been a blur to him back then. His action was purely driven by his survival instinct. But the voices that he heard that day was what disturbed him the most and haunted him until now.

* * *

 _He took a deep breath once he felt a summer breeze grazed his face after he stepped out from the dark tunnel. His lung felt lighter than it was when he was walking blindly to find the way out from the secret passage. It was pitch black down there and he didn't like it. Even though his eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness, it still made him felt like he was suffocating. He blinked a few times and looked around, took in the view of his surrounding. The shade of amber spread through the horizon, the sun started to sank down. He was in an empty abandoned alleyway. It could only mean he was still in town. He walked to the end of the alleyway._

 _The street was not that crowded. People probably prepared to come home to their family after a hard day of work. He needed to get out of town if he wanted to avoid people recognising him. Because he was sure, someone would eventually noticed him gone. He walked casually and blended with the people. Still wearing the same guard uniform, he passed the market and proceed to the woods. He needed to get out of the Southern Isles. During his journey through the tunnel, he'd already planned everything._

 _The only place he could think of was Weselton because the two kingdoms was basically neighbour. But to get there, it was still going to be a five days journey if he had some sort of transportation. If only he could bring Sitron, it would be easier. Without any transportation, it would definitely take longer. Maybe he could hitch a ride with another traveller who would go there if he could find one._

 _He crossed the bridge that led to the woods. That was when he heard the sound. He stopped at his track and looked around._

 _"Who's there?" he called out. His eyes narrowed to the direction of the woods. He could see shadows in the bushes._

 _Slowly, very slowly four figures came out of the bushes and approached him. Hans couldn't see their faces at first, so he just stood there while anticipating their next moves. His mind filled with a lot of possible scenario. He had no idea who these people were. They could be bandits who would attempt to rob him, but he didn't have anything, so that wouldn't really be a problem. If they were a castle guard, they didn't look like one because they didn't wear any uniform. The third possibility would be, they were part of the attack. If so, then he had no other choice other than defeating them._

 _They surrounded him completely from all sides. He noticed something odd about the way these men moved. Their movement was somewhat jerky and a little uncoordinated. But when they finally within his clear field of vision, he shuddered when he caught their eyes. It was pitch black. It didn't even have any white part like any other normal human's eyes._

 _"Little Hansie," one of them said._

 _Hans froze in place. He felt chills ran down his spine. That familiar voice! The only one who ever called him that was his mother. He turned his gaze to each and everyone of them, and swore he heard her voice. His heart was pounding in his ears. How was that even possible?_

 _"Why did you do it? Why did you let me die?" the man to his left asked. The voice that came out of his mouth was his mothers!_

 _With the adrenaline kicked in, he charged towards the man with dark hair to his left and landed his fist right on his face._

 _"Why!" that man screamed still with the same voice. His eyes went wide._

 _"Shut up!" Hans felt his anger burning deep in his stomach. Everything that happened on the day his mother's died came crushing back on his memory. He pounded his fist towards that face over and over again until he could not feel any movement beneath him anymore._

 _His breathing raged. Before he could even catch his breath, he was being pulled by the other three figures. This time, he heard another familiar voices._

 _"You useless little bastard! You killed her!" the one who wore a grey vest spat at him. He sounded just like his father._

 _No, no, no! That wouldn't be possible! His father was dead! He witnessed it himself not long ago! What the hell was happening?!_

 _Before he could really comprehend what really happened, he felt the wind knocked out of him and let out a groan. The man who stood in front of him had kicked him in his stomach. "A person like you, doesn't deserve to live at all!" said the one who held his right arm. The voice that came out was Franz, one of the cruelest of his brothers._

 _"You are a bloody disgrace!" added the man who held him on the other side. His voice was Jurgen's._

 _Hans growled angrily and struggled to get out of their hold. This time he was rewarded by a sharp blow to his nose. He heard a crack upon the delivery. Blood trickled down his nose and he tasted the rustic iron once it dripped down his mouth. Soon without any chance to fight back, the three figures took turns to beat him up. The blows came from everywhere hitting all over his body._

 _The first few minutes he was doubled over in pain and agony before everything started to feel dull. His body felt weaker and weaker. Until he caught a shiny object from the man who wore a grey vest and looked down to found him thrusted a silver dagger through his stomach and pulled it out so quickly. The pain was so deep this time followed by an insatiable throb. He cried out and crumpled to the ground while his hands instinctively covered the wound._

 _Suddenly the three of them stopped and walked away from him. Hans panted heavily but from the corner of his eyes, he saw the figures suddenly just disappeared._

* * *

"They just disappeared?" Elsa's voice pulled him back from the memory.

The former prince nodded.

"How?"

He shrugged slightly. "My guess would be, they were controlled by that Regina witch. I still don't know why they didn't finish me off, though. Perhaps Regina thought her job was done and decided to pull her minions out of that place."

"Then what happened after that?" she still had that deep frown.

"I forced myself to walked back into town and towards the dock. I found one fishing vessel that headed directly to Arendelle. I boarded the ship and hid on the back deck in the storage room. No one knew I was there. After that, I pretty much just tried to hang on to dear life, until I arrived here two days later. The ship crew found me and recognised me, they turned me to the city police and that was when I met you again."

Elsa became even more conflicted than before. If what Hans's said was true then there was actually still a chance for her to find her parents. But his story sounded like something out of a fairy tale. She wasn't someone who could easily believe something like that unless she experienced it herself. How could she even be sure, he wasn't just bluffing and already hatched another plan to destroy her and Anna again? Though the only thing that weight his statement down was the consistency of his story with her uncle's who also believed that the fall of the Southern Isles probably caused by an unnatural force, like magic. As someone who has firsthand experience with magic herself knew that there was nothing impossible when it comes to magic, no matter how absurd or illogical it sounded.

She looked at him and saw his gloomy expression. A twinge of empathy appeared inside. Part of her wanted to believe that he was being sincere about everything. Especially looking at how miserable he looked in his physical condition. It was evident that he'd been through hell in the last eight years. But she still needed to be extra careful, she'd be damned if she would fall for another one of his game. The only thing she needed right now was someone with extensive knowledge of magic. She knew one and would definitely pay a visit later.

"I know it all sounded crazy, but it was what I saw. You don't have to believe me, I don't expect you to." he said while he leaned his head on the headboard. He closed his lids, suddenly feeling tired.

The Queen's expression went back to a neutral one. The frown on her face was gone.

"Why did you do this?" she asked again.

"Hmm?" he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Why risked your life by coming here when you could just run away like you planned. What changed your mind?"

Hans sighed. "Because I thought I wouldn't make it."

"I don't understand."

"I was sure that I was going to die. I just wanted to do the right thing for once in my life before my last breath, and it was the right thing to do." he avoided her gaze.

"I know you'll punish me once I recovered, for the crime I committed against you and your sister, but please make it quick." he continued.

She raised her eyebrows this time. "Pardon?"

"Put me in the hanging platform. Make it a quick one, then I won't be your problem anymore."

Elsa would be lying if she said that his plea didn't affect her at all. She cursed herself when she felt a little pang of sympathy. What kind of life had he'd known to be that desperate to die? She quickly put an end to that lingering empathy and decided it would be best if she stayed away from him. She needed to think clearly and process every new information that she got. No time to play pity now. She reprimanded herself. Without responding to his request, she stood up and walked away from him.

* * *

"So what are you going to do about it then? Can we really trust his story?" Anna whispered to Elsa when she sat on Elsa's right side in the Throne Room. That afternoon they were informed that delegations from the Northern Alliances had just arrived in Arendelle.

As it was customary for the host country to received them officially, Elsa along with the rest of the family, including King Frederic and Queen Arianna was there to greet and welcome the visitors.

"To be honest, Anna, I still don't know what to do, I'll figure something out. Right now, I just need to compartmentalise." The Queen answered while she slumped back on her throne.

Too many things to deal with, Elsa thought. She needed to compartmentalise otherwise she would be overwhelmed and risk messing everything up. Surely that would be the worse thing that could happen. She didn't want that, she needed to be focused on one thing at the time. Right now, she needed to put on her best smile and regal posture to greet these dignitaries. Most of them she already met and made an acquaintance before, either from their previous visits to Arendelle or her own state visits to their home countries. The Northern Alliances was initiated as a way to create an international relations and ensuring peace within the Scandinavian Peninsula. It was initially created as an intergovernmental organisation in Scandinavian Territory before a couple of decades ago when Corona and the United Kingdom agreed to join the alliances.

Elsa straightened up her sitting position once Kai announced their arrival. The first to entered the room was Prince Wils from the Kingdom of Vakreta who came with his wife Princess Christine. The man himself was the official foreign ambassador of Vakreta. A very quiet man for an ambassador. Sometimes he made Elsa wondered why his father decided to appoint him as ambassador? A few times during the previous conferences, he would not give a single opinion unless he was asked. His wife on the other hand, was the total opposite of him. The princess was chatty and very fond of gossip. Both couple gave their formal bow and curtsy to the Royal Family before Prince Wils proceed to kissed the Queen's knuckle. As usual Prince Wils said very few words while it was his wife who dominated the entire exchange. It was amusing for the Queen to see that.

Right after Vakretta, Kai announced another familiar name. It was King Eric and his Queen consort Ariel from the kingdom of Eldoran. Elsa noticed how her little sister perked up upon hearing the announcement. Both the princess and Queen Ariel had maintained a close friendship ever since they first met during Anna's wedding. Eldoran was also one of the first kingdom that continued trade relation with Arendelle while most of the other kingdoms chose to temporarily cut ties after the eternal winter was over. It turned out they were already familiar with the world of magic, which was the reason why they weren't so surprised after Elsa's power was discovered on the night of her coronation. From what Anna told her, Ariel was a mermaid and a former princess from the kingdom of Atlantica.

They exchanged a formal bow and curtsy before greeted them warmly. It took almost thirty minutes for everyone to be announced and formally received. It ended with Elsa gave her welcome speech and announcement for the upcoming events.

"My lords and ladies, I bid you all welcome to Arendelle. Me and the rest of the Royal Family are delighted that you could come for my sister, Princess Anna's birthday celebration. Though I understood there is also a matter of some urgency regarding the unfortunate event that had befallen one of our allies, the kingdom of the Southern Isles. As a member of the Northern Alliances, you have Arendelle's full support, and I invited you all to attend a conference meeting tomorrow morning at nine sharp. For now, please enjoy the rest of your day. You're all welcomed to stay at the palace. If you need any help Baron Kai Norgard would be at your service. Thank you." Elsa announced.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the slight delay on the update. Life got in the way. But, I will posted two extra chapters after this one tomorrow. So enjoy.**

 **Now we know what really happened during Hans's escape. What will Elsa do next? Reviews, Follows, and Favourites would be very much appreciated!**


	7. Grand Pabbie's Confession

Alek poked his head inside the Queen's study. He suspected that his aunt had woken up early as usual and already settled in her study. Maybe this time he would get lucky and could scare her. He grinned mischievously. Aunt Elsa was hard to scare unlike his mama who would easily jumped and screamed whenever he startled her. His blue eyes roamed around the large room and found that her aunt wasn't at her desk. He caught her on the couch curled up in a blanket and he noticed a book laid on her stomach. He tip-toed his way and ready to launch his plan but once he could see her clearly, he stopped. His aunt was still asleep on the couch. He frowned.

Why would she sleep in here and not in her room? Alek felt a tug in his heart when he caught a line of exhaustion on her face. She must've overworked herself again. His mother had told him many-many times that aunt Elsa would not rest unless her job was done, so it was their job to make sure she also taking care of herself. He could not imagine how hard it must be for her to do the job. Everyday a lot of people needed her attention, she had to devoted her whole life to the service of the country and people, yet she does all of that wholeheartedly and not once he ever seen her complaining.

He brushed the lock of her platinum blonde hair that fell to the side of her face before landed a kiss on her cheek. He decided to just let her get some more rest. She needed it. Just as he was about to tip-toed back into the door, he heard his name being called.

"Alek?" her aunt asked.

The boy turned around and smiled. "Good morning, aunty!" he greeted cheerfully.

The Queen sat up and brushed her hair back with her fingers. A small yawn escaped her lips but her hand went up to cover it immediately.

"What are you doing here, darling?" she set aside the blanket and put the book on the table.

"I thought you're already awake, so I wanted to come and see you. Did you stay here all night aunty?" he went back to sit beside his aunt.

"I was reading then I fell asleep here, I guess." She looked at him and narrowed her eyes while the corner of her thin lips twitched slightly. "You wanted to come and see me, or you wanted to scare me?" she guessed.

The six years old prince gave her a cheshire cat grin. Well now, he was clearly busted. "Ah, how did you know that?" he chuckled.

"Oh, you little rascal! I knew it! Come here, you!"

His eyes widened when his aunt caught him by his waist and pulled him closer before she tickled his sides. He squealed and giggled uncontrollably.

Elsa laughed but kept a firm hold on the boy while he squirmed. His infectious giggles echoed through the room.

"Haha! alright! Okay, I give up! ha ha, aunty, stop!"

"Are you declaring your defeat to the snow Queen now?" she teased.

"Yes! Haha! You win!"

"What is that? I didn't hear that."

"I declare defeat!" he exclaimed.

Still laughing the Queen finally ceased the tickle attack and just hugged the boy before she landed a trail of sloppy kisses on his face. Her nephew took a deep breath but still giggled.

"You're silly, aunty." he snuggled closer.

"Oh, but you love me."

"Of course I do! Do you still have to work today? Can't we just enjoy the rest of the day playing with mama, Adeline, Grandaunt and Granduncle?"

A very tempting offer, Elsa thought. But she remembered the whole arrangement for conference today at nine sharp. It made her huffed. If she could, she would rather spend the day with the rest of the family. She took a glance at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It was still half past five. The sun hadn't really set in yet. As an early riser, she would usually start her day with riding. She found it to be an enjoyable activity and helped her to think quietly and enjoy the nature before her hectic day begin. She landed her gaze on the book. She tried to find some answer about the kind of magic that the evil witch used like what Hans described. The book that her father had didn't have the answer.

"I'm afraid we can't, sweetheart. I have a very important meeting today with the guests that arrived yesterday." she answered.

The boy pouted slightly.

"But because it is still pretty early, why don't we go for some ride? What do you think about visiting Bulda and the rest? It has been quite a while hasn't it?" she continued.

Alek's face brightened just like that and he nodded eagerly.

"Okay, let's get you change into your riding outfit, then."

Elsa helped her nephew changed into his riding outfit before she changed herself. This early in the morning, the sun was just about to set in and it was perfect to ride. Not many people out of their houses yet. At least not until seven when it would really get busy in town. She usually just loved riding around town and enjoyed the scenery especially during summertime. By the time the sun finally set, the hills were bright with shades of yellow and green. The water and the sky was so blue and the air smelled very refreshing. It helped her relax. They went to the stables and the stableboy, Marius greeted them. He already prepared the Queen's horse, Frostie, as it was her usual routine to ride every morning.

After making sure her nephew was properly secured in front of her, she rode the white horse out of the castle. Now that she was familiar with the fastest route to get to the Valley of the Living Rock, she estimated they would get there just when the sun finally settled. It was still a little bit chilly outside but neither Elsa nor Alek was bothered by it. Elsa's mind drifted back into her childhood when she used to enjoy riding with her mother who happened to loved riding as well. Or how it would usually turned out to become sort of a race whenever her papa decided to join in. That was long before her isolation begun.

Thinking about her parents somehow made her heart beat faster. Especially about the possibility that they may be out there somewhere. She began imagining what they reaction would be if they could see her now. So much had changed in the last eight years. Would they be proud with what she achieved? Would they be happy that she finally could control her power? She shook her head and reminded herself to not get her hopes high, because that would only hurt in the end if that turn out to be not true.

They both arrived at the Valley of the Rock, just as Elsa predicted. The sun had settled. It brightened the entire valley. The warmth landed nicely on their skins. She unmounted herself and helped Alek down.

"Hey, everyone! It's me, Alek!" greeted the young Prince excitedly. His voice echoed through the valley.

In a matter of second, the rocks rolled to their direction. Surrounded both the Queen and the Prince. Once everyone turned into the trolls, Elsa recognised Bulda instantly. She gave her a warm smile.

"It's the Queen and Kristoff junior!" Bulda exclaimed.

Soon, every rock trolls in that place were jumping up and down, some even rolled around happily.

"Hello, Bulda. It's a pleasure to see you all again. Alek here surely missed you all." the platinum blonde nudged Alek.

Another male troll rolled closer to Alek and sniffed him. "Thank God, you are nothing like your father who would always has that lingering reindeer scent."

The Queen couldn't help but chuckled at their comical behaviour.

"We missed you too, Alek! Come come, I believed your cousins are eager to see you!" Bulda and almost the rest of the trolls turned their attention to him.

Elsa let the boy being dragged by the trolls before she noticed one troll who chose to stay quiet by her side. It was Grand Pabbie, the old wise rock troll and also the leader of the trolls. She turned to him and smiled politely. He gave her a respectful bow.

"Your Majesty, welcome." he said. "I sensed there's something that you wanted to ask me." the troll continued while he squinted his eyes slightly.

The Queen was actually impressed at his guess. Of course she had known him to be familiar with magic and had magic himself. She just didn't know that he actually could read minds.

"You can read my mind?" she levelled down to his height.

He chuckled. "No, ma'am. But I can sense something is bothering you. We, people with magic could always sense other magic around us."

"Well actually yes, Grand Pabbie."

She then proceed to tell him everything that Hans told her about the evil witch that killed the entire royal family of the Southern Isles. The old troll listened intently. Elsa noticed a change in his expression. He closed his eyes while his brows furrowed deeply.

"Hmm, it is odd, indeed." he murmured.

"Do you know some kind of magic like that, Grand Pabbie?"

"I do. I knew someone who once wielded that kind of power. It was a very long time ago. Before you were even born. A friend of mine. He lived in the village just outside the kingdom of Kongsberg. It used to be a light magic that commonly used for good. He helped a lot of people. Until he died suddenly and I didn't know what caused it, but I sensed a shift from his magic took form into a dark side upon his death."

"How could his magic turned if the wielder is dead? Aren't magic supposed to die with the person who wield it?" Elsa was confused.

"It supposed to. The only explanation would be, someone absorbed his magic before his death. That was why it turned into a dark magic, and why I can still sense it now."

"So, you're saying that this Regina witch, really exists? And Hans wasn't making it up?"

"Yes, the wielder of this kind of magic is very much exists. Very powerful and dangerous, indeed."

So it was true then. Everything he said, it wasn't just a wicked plan to overthrow her. She felt a slight guilt in her gut for accusing him. But who could really blame her? After everything he'd done to her and Anna, it would only be logical for her to be skeptical in every words he said.

"One more thing, Pabbie. Hans heard from the conversation between his father and Regina, that my parents are still alive out there somewhere. Do you… can you… Is there even a possibility that they may still be alive after all these times?"

Grand Pabbie took a longer pause this time. He seemed to be lost with his own thought.

Elsa waited anxiously. His behaviour clearly put her on edge. She didn't want to put her hopes high but the thought of that possibility made her stomach churned.

"I have a confession to make, Your Majesty." Pabbie said.

The Queen was a little taken back by his words.

"When the news of your parents demise came to me, eleven years ago, I was confused. Because I couldn't sense their spirits leave the earth. They just simply disappeared."

She shook her head in confusion. "I'm confused."

"You see, Elsa, I could feel other people's spirits as long as I had known and met them, pretty much everyone I came across. Usually when they die, I could feel their spirits lifted from their bodies and enter the afterlife. In case of your parents, I just simply felt disconnected from them suddenly."

"Aren't you supposed to feel that way when they died?"

"No, usually my connection with them would only be severed when they finally entered the afterlife. Death itself is a process, Your Majesty. From the moment they're dying, until they drew their last breath. Once they stopped breathing, their souls would slowly detached from their physical bodies. After that separation, their spirits would still be around the earth and watch over their descendant and family for a while before the door to the afterlife opened and angel of death came to lead them to the afterlife. Only then my connection to the spirit would be severed. With your parents, I couldn't even sense their spirits left their bodies. I felt a strong strange force before I became disconnected from them."

"Then what could possibly caused that?"

"At first I thought I was just simply being wrong, but with this new information, I think it makes more sense. The only possible explanation would be they probably still alive out there somewhere and their souls are trapped between two worlds."

Elsa was about to opened her mouth again when she became even more confused than before, but Pabbie held up his hand.

"Like people in a state of comatose. They are unresponsive, but not quite dead yet. Their souls trapped in what we called the astral state. It's an intermediate world between heaven and earth. Their souls are not in their bodies but they aren't dead, like an out of body experience they could observe what happened all around them, just don't have the power to do anything nor how to enter their bodies again. Dark magic has the ability to do that. It was used before to put people in eternal sleep." he continued.

"Like those in the fairy tale? Poisoned apple that Snow White took and what Maleficent used to put Aurora to sleep forever?" she smirked. Amused by his explanation. How could all of this relate to the story of those childhood fairy tales? Seemed too absurd and crazy to her.

"Exactly like that."

The platinum blonde chuckled. "Those are just a childhood fairytale, Pabbie. They can't be real."

The rock troll narrowed his eyes. His expression looked sombre. "Oh, they are as real as they can get."

"Okay, hypothetically, if what you're saying is true, and you feel that my parents are still out there somewhere, where would they be?"

"Not hypothetically, it's a fact! Before you were born, people don't believe in magic. But you experienced it yourself, you tell me, is that real or not? As to your question, I can't tell you their whereabouts because I don't know. But you do."

That shocked her. "M.. me? How?"

"Your connection to them is really strong because you are their own flesh and blood. The bond between a child and parents is the strongest."

"But I don't know how to do that."

"That's because you haven't mastered the full extend of your powers yet."

"I have control over my power now, Pabbie."

"Control is not enough, child. There's so much more you could do with your power."

"Then can you teach me?" she asked while looking down at her hands.

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "I'm not strong enough to teach you, Elsa. I know someone who could."

The Queen went silent. She honestly still didn't know what she should do. What Grand Pabbie told her was indeed puzzling and but still didn't give her a definitive answer. Did she really want to master her power? Because of its destructive nature, she was afraid she would only end up hurting a lot of people in the process. But she could not ignore every facts that just laid out in front of her.

The dark magic explained the attack of the Southern Isles and why it looked unnatural. Based on Hans's story, her parents are still out there somewhere being held by this Regina witch. This was supported by Grand Pabbie's claim that he never felt their souls leave the earth. The next possibility would be exactly like what Hans's heard from Regina's conversation with King Balder moments before he died, this witch could launch an attack to Arendelle. Her blood ran cold when she thought about the possibility that Arendelle might suffer the same fate as the Southern Isles. She'd be damned if she would let it happened.

Grand Pabbie noticed a change in the Queen's expression. A determination grazed across her face.

"Who is this person who could help me?" she finally gathered her courage.

"His name is Reidar. You could find him in Grindevald Fortress." the troll pulled out a rolled map from his pocket.

Elsa opened the old map. She frowned. It looked familiar. "This is just outside of Eldoran. What exactly is this place, Pabbie?"

"A sanctuary for people like us. Now Elsa, here's what you need to know,"

The rock troll used his magic to create an illumination of aurora above them. There was a dark shadow of a woman. She emitted a red light from her palm.

"This person who wield this kind of magic is indeed dangerous and powerful. You have to reach the full potential of your power to be able to go against her. The darkness could only be destroyed by the most powerful forces in the world." his voice sounded strained.

"Which are?"

"An act of true love, and pure magic. Those are two of the most powerful forces in the world. You've seen the first one up close eight years ago."

"What do you mean by pure magic?"

"People who was born with magic in their blood. Like you and Alek. What this woman has, is not pure magic. She may at some point had contact with magic otherwise she could not bear to use and control it because not everyone could have magic, but she wasn't born with it. This power that she has is contained in an object. If you want to stop her, you have to find and destroy the source of her magic."

"An object like what?"

"Well, it could be anything. From a ring, necklace, wand and other objects." he let out a long yawn. "I think it's already time for my nap. Good luck, Your Majesty, God be with you."

The leader of the trolls bowed to her before he rolled around and camouflaged himself back into a rock.

* * *

As King Frederic predicted, the other members of the Northern Alliance wanted to put Hans on the throne. A new intelligence that just arrived this morning reported that Weselton had already tried to enslave the people of the Southern Isles. It made her despised the Duke even more. She could never understand why a person would do such a terrible thing in order to gain something for themselves. Made her glad that she cut any business with that weasel.

"Queen Elsa, surely you could understand that the former prince did what he did in Arendelle's best interest, right? You didn't know how to control your power nor how to stop the winter. Maybe in his mind, the only thing that could save Arendelle from complete destruction would be to kill the source. I think we could all justified his action." Prince Wils said.

Everyone in the room went silent in an instant. It was the first time the Prince of Vakreta had ever said something longer than a sentence. Yet, his words felt like a thousand arrows hitting her from all sides. The fire inside her ignited immediately upon his statement. She clenched her jaw and fisted her palms. If the temperature around the room dropped significantly she didn't notice that.

Prince Draco from the kingdom of Kongsberg shook his head at Prince Wils as if to say he didn't know what he was talking about. But it seemed the man was too oblivious about the effect his statement had on the Queen.

"You seemed to be forgetting something, Your Highness. His crime, was not only for his attempt to behead me, but also for what he did to my sister, Princess Anna. Did you know what he said to her? What his initial plan on marrying my sister? Even without my power being revealed, he already hatched a plan to get rid of me once he managed to marry her. His exact words were 'I figured after we're married, I have to stage a little accident for Elsa'. Now, how could you possibly justify that?" her voice was steady but held an icy tone.

The older man said nothing, but his gaze told Elsa that he did not like being wrong. Well, behind those quiet facade it seemed at the core the foreign ambassador of Vakreta was also an arrogant bastard. She thought.

This discussion was going nowhere. It seemed to her that most of them believed they could just convinced her to give Hans back his title, just like that. Not bloody likely! They all talked about the suffering the citizen of the Southern Isles endured to her as if she was some sort of coldhearted tyrant who would not give a damn about it. Tried to gain her sympathy by making her looked like the bad guy in this situation. Now it was time to use their own words against them.

"My decision still stand. I will not relinquish Hans Westergaard's title!"

The murmurs among the other members started to buzzed around the room. They were all started talking at the same time. Voicing their opinion, trying to reason with her.

"ORDER!" barked King Frederic. His voice boomed and immediately ceased them quiet.

"If you would let me finish, gentlemen!" Elsa continued louder and firmer this time. Her voice was sharp with annoyance.

"I will not relinquish his title, UNTIL he proved himself to be capable of running a kingdom! Surely, we do not want the people suffering because of incompetency, do we gentlemen?" she stressed the last sentence without missing a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't be cryptic, Your Majesty, just elaborate, already!" Prince Wils groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I want to assess him and give him a chance to prove himself that he could run a kingdom. I want to do it, on my term."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Queen Victoria who kept quiet during the entire discussion finally spoke up. Her head tilted slightly, like she was intrigued with the idea.

The Queen of Arendelle smiled this time. She had a tremendous respect for the United Kingdom's sovereign and her way of thinking. She revealed her plan to every members of the alliances. She came up with the idea when she rode back from the Valley of the living rock to the castle after her morning ride and visit with Alek that morning. She thought it would be the best alternative than just giving him back the title without any guarantee that he would not just destroy his own kingdom once he got that title back. If she was going to do it, she had to be a hundred percent sure. She didn't worry about punishment anymore. That man had been through enough during eight years of his imprisonment.

* * *

 **A/N: I know I promised to update yesterday, but again real life can be a pain in the butt sometimes, I had a wifi problem in my apartment, thankfully it was fixed this morning.**

 **Even though Grand Pabbie can't confirm nor deny about whether or not the late king and queen of Arendelle are still alive, it seemed Elsa already had a plan in her mind and how to deal with Hans's problem.  
**

 **Thank you for everyone who has been kind enough to stick around with the story. I hope you enjoy this. As usual, Reviews, Follows, Favourites would be very much appreciated! :)**


	8. The Council

"You want me to what?!" Anna turned to her older sister in shock.

"You heard me." Elsa finished.

The Queen had told the rest of the family about everything she found out from Hans and Grand Pabbie. They were now spending the rest of the evening in the drawing room. Anna still couldn't believe any of it. It sounded impossible but made sense at the same time.

"Wait, please tell me that you're not considering about going there."

"Anna, I have to. Grand Pabbie said it himself, the only thing that could stop this woman is pure magic. Then I am the one who needs to go. Besides, if that witch decided to attack Arendelle, my untrained ability won't be much of a help. I don't want Arendelle to end up like the Southern Isles. Besides, I want to find them, badly!"

The strawberry blonde was about to argue but was lost at words. Everything her sister said made sense. Elsa was right, if there was someone who could put an end to this threat against them, it would be her older sister. But it still didn't make her feel any better. She didn't want Elsa to be in danger and worse risk losing her forever. That thought sent shivers down her spine. Imagining herself to be at another funeral was unbearable. She shook that image out of her head. There was also part of her that wanted to find their parents and bring them home badly. She missed them dearly. Not a day went by that she didn't think about them.

The princess even remembered the day when the news about their demise came to her. She couldn't believe what she heard and she even yelled at Gerda for saying those things. She threw a tantrum to every servants who tried to comfort her and spent five days in denial before she finally broke down. It was the most devastating moment of her life. She couldn't imagine what Elsa went through that day especially with her still trying to control her power. It must've been very hard for her sister too.

"The alliance agreed to this plan of yours?" Anna asked again.

"Yes. In the mean time, we agreed to create a security council that would temporarily handle the situation in the Southern Isles and to intercept Weselton's attempt to colonised that place." this time it was her uncle who spoke up.

"I never really like that weasel!" Kristoff muttered.

Elsa hummed her agreement.

"If you're going, then I'm coming with you. There's no way I would let you go by yourself!" Anna insisted.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? If I'm going, you have to stay to take care of Arendelle. You'll be the Princess Regent in my absence." her older sister.

"Elsa's right, Anna. As Heiress presumptive to the throne, you have to stay and fill in Elsa's shoes."

The younger sibling huffed. There was no way to persuade her sister. She hated when she didn't have any choice than to let her sister go. Not only that, but she was also worried that stepping in Elsa's shoes means she would have a lot more responsibility. It was not an easy task to do. She could imagine the amount of paperwork she had to deal with, or the endless boring meeting with the council. Years of observing what her big sister does as a monarch made her grateful that she wasn't the firstborn.

Yes, she used to envy her older sister because she considered herself to be the spare and had never been prioritised by her parents. It was always Elsa who won the spotlight. But after seeing it directly what responsibility she had to held and how vital her role to the country, Anna changed her mind. Elsa had to carried the weight of the world in her shoulders ever since she was younger, that added with the extra burden of having an ice power that she could barely control, Anna didn't know how her sister could managed everything. It was no wonder she lost control the night of her coronation.

A sudden realisation hit her hard. How could she even think that way? How could she even complaining about having more job to do or more responsibility? Elsa needed her support not her whine! Everyday, Elsa always tried to do her best to served their country and the people. Now her sister was going to do something for the good of the people, and all she could do was whine? _Shame on you, Anna!_ She chided herself internally.

"But you're not going alone, aren't you?" she started to fidget from the nervousness. She didn't want Elsa to go alone without any backup. Whether she has power or not, she's not immortal.

The platinum blonde sighed. She went to sat beside Anna and brushed her cheek gently.

"Listen, if it'll ease your mind, I'll go with my security details."

An idea sparked in Anna's mind. "And Joan." she added.

"Who?"

"You know Lady Joan, the only female knight who happened to be the best knight Arendelle ever has."

Too many people, the Queen thought. She was only going to go to this Grindevald Fortress for training and not an actual battle. With her own power she was sure she was more than capable of protecting herself. She was ready to argue with her little sister but upon seeing how conflicted and all the worries that clearly was written all over Anna's face, she stopped herself.

"Alright, fine. I'll go with her too. Don't worry, Anna, it's not like I'm going tomorrow. I still have to consult with the council. There's also your birthday ball that I wouldn't want to miss. I'll help you with the transition."

The princess didn't say anything after that, she just pulled her older sister into a tight embrace. Still not fond of the ideas of separating for a while. Her mind just wouldn't stop thinking about the worse possible thing that could happen to her sister.

"You just have to believe me, Anna. I know I still can't be sure if Papa and Mama are still alive out there, but I have faith. I will find out for sure, and I would do anything in my power to bring them back home."

Anna nodded in her sister's embrace. Her eyes was a little moist. "Yes. Because family don't give up on each other."

"Exactly. Do you know from whom I learnt that?" Elsa asked.

Anna finally pulled away to see her sister clearer. She found that face that had been a spitting image of her mother beamed with what looked like pride. She shook her head.

"You." Elsa smiled.

"Me?" The younger sibling scoffed.

"Yes, you. You never gave up on me during all the chaos that happened on my coronation, and now, it is my turn to do the same for them."

Queen Arianna smiled fondly at her two nieces. Ever since they were little even before Elsa's was forced into her isolation, she always knew the bond between them were very strong. She was very glad they finally got a second chance to rekindle that relationship. Thanks to Anna who like Elsa said, never gave up on her sister.

"After all these times. Eleven years we all believed that we lost them. My poor little sister, only God knows what that despicable witch had done to her and Agnarr." Frederic said in gloom. He stood facing the big window. His eyes were trained to the fjord while his hands were clasped together behind his back.

"We'll find out soon enough, uncle." Elsa responded.

* * *

It seemed, her sister wasn't the only one who was unhappy about her decision to go. The Royal Council was also advised her not to leave Arendelle. She presented the case to every members of the council a day after she told the entire royal family of her plan. The reaction that came out from them was something that Elsa had already anticipated before. So she just let them reacted first and processed all of the information she just laid out in front of them. They started talking at the same time. Some even started their own discussion with one another. She knew how bizarre and impossible everything she said seemed to be, so to received such a massive reaction, would be expected.

"This is outrageous! How could it be possible for the late King and Queen to be alive out there somewhere? I was the one who led the search parties to search for them that day, and with the condition of the wreck, there was no way anybody could survive that storm!" Admiral Mathias Cornelis, the head of Arendellian Navy spoke to Lord Ejvind Vaulkner, Arendelle's minister of military and defence.

 _Magic could._ Elsa answered internally.

"You're forgetting something, Admiral. Under normal circumstances it might be impossible for them to survive, but Her Majesty said it herself, if all of these were caused by magic, then anything could be possible." Vaulkner interjected.

A few of them nodded and hummed their agreement while the other few groaned and snorted.

"God in Heaven! You are all obsessed! There's no such thing as magic! Whatever this Hans Westergaard said surely do not weight any truth at all! He's a criminal and should be hanged already for all I care!" complained Chancellor Kjell Valdemar, the minister of foreign affair.

"If so, sire, what do you think caused the massive event that happened eight years ago? Could you explain how on earth Arendelle was plunged in an eternal winter right in the middle of July?" this time, Lord Hendrik Vilheim, minister of internal affair spoke up.

"Ah, that charming unfortunate event, sire, was indeed peculiar, and I happened to be outside of Arendelle that time, I couldn't know it for sure. All I heard was rumour, and as you all know, I'm not somebody who fancy a cheap gossip!" Valdemar dodged. He smirked showing his teeth. His handlebar-styled moustache twitched with the movement of his arched lips.

"Then how could you explain the unnatural ability that our recent monarch has?"

The Queen felt a burning rage in the pit of her stomach. She was clearly offended, angry and hurt at the same time. Did they really just talk about her as if she wasn't there? This was getting way out of line even for them! _How dare they talked about me in such way while I'm right in front of their very own eyes!_ Elsa could feel her powers surged urgently through her veins. She even had to clenched her fists. She shot them a deathly glare, but it seemed to her they were too occupied with their own idiotic useless debate about magic while the prove was staring right in front of them.

Lord Randolf Solberg, Arendelle's Prime Minister, who kept quiet and observed the forum frowned disapprovingly at the other senior members of the council who could turn out to be a complete moron sometimes. With the title 'senior' one would expect a wise and respectful behaviour, especially for a member of The Royal Council, the second most important and integral part of the government after the ruling monarch, but no, these fools are nothing like that at all. The only reason why the Queen herself kept them as a member of the council was because they were actually doing an exceptional job at making the country better. With the increasing prosperity it would be preposterous to sacked them merely because of their behaviour.

The moment the Prime Minister landed his gaze on the Queen, he gulped. If that young lady could kill just by her look, she would've committed a mass murder in the council chamber already. He felt the mixture of both empathy and uneasiness by the change of her behaviour. Her usual soft but regal features was tensed. The tension on her jaw was apparent by the way she gritted her teeth. That was when he also noticed how the temperature had dropped significantly. There was also a small blizzard in the corner of the room. It was small and with the other members still talked about their Queen in front of her and ignoring her presence at all, he doubted those fools noticed it. Although a few younger members of the council noticed. He decided this is time to intercept their ridiculous nonsense.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted. His voice was clear yet sharp enough to caught everyone's attention. The room suddenly went ghost-quiet for a few seconds.

Each and everyone of them turned to the direction of the Prime Minister. As the most senior member and the head of the Royal Council, he held the second highest rank in the council chamber after the Queen.

As if by force, their attention shifted towards the young woman who had been the centre of their discussion. A mere glimpse of the Queen's icy stare, their gazes lowered at the same time. No one dared to look at her. That was when they noticed how cold the room had turned out.

"Why so quiet, good lords? Please indulge me more about magic, because I am very much interested in this discussion!" she said sarcastically. Her voice was steady but the unmistakable hint of tautness was hard to miss.

When no one said anything, she continued. "You know, I am right here, gentlemen! If what you wanted was a simple demonstration, all you have to do was ask. I am your sovereign and yet you dared talk about me in such way, when I am very much in the same room! I wonder, how you talk without my presence."

Still no respond from the council members. Not even Lord Solberg wanted to face the Queen's wrath.

"You are the senior members of The Royal Council, for God's sake! I expect more respect from you! Even my seven years old nephew has more manners than you! Such a disgrace!" Elsa was clearly boiling inside.

For a moment she was tempted to give them a little demonstration about her magic and show them how real it was. But she realised it would do no good. There were more pressing matter at hand. She tried to control her breathing that had been ragged with anger. She noticed the frost that had been forming under her desk and how there were also a few tiny ice spikes protruding outwards. She needed to control her rage otherwise there would be another problem, she couldn't deal with that while there was already so much in her mind right now.

After a few minutes of an unpleasant silence, Lord Solberg noticed how the Queen's shoulder started to loosened up a little and how her features softened. He let out a quiet relief breath. He'd known Elsa ever since she was very little when he served the late King of Arendelle. He was also among the first one who knew about her powers very early on. He knew the young Queen was the most kindhearted person he'd ever met. She would never let her anger get the best of her, unless she was pushed or provoked really hard. Ever since she was a little girl with that shy gentle smile, she was always gentle. Though years had passed and the effect on her seclusion shaped her to be more reserved, he was glad that after the whole ordeal of her coronation, and eight years being on the throne had changed her to be more relaxed, thanks to Princess Anna's influence.

Solberg cleared his throat in an attempt to stir back the focus of the discussion. "On behalf of the Royal Council, I apologised, Your Majesty." he glared to the other members who were still not dared to look up.

Elsa sighed. It wasn't Solberg who should apologised to her. He didn't even said a single thing. His subordinates were the ones who should apologise. "Fine. Could we please get back to the important matter at hand?" she asked.

Only then she got a small nods from the others. She turned back to Solberg. "Prime Minister, what do you think?"

"Well, ma'am. This is indeed a very bizarre situation. Are you sure, it is wise for you to go?We don't want something bad happen to our Queen." he asked softly almost sounded 'fatherly'.

The blonde gave him a gentle smile. The Prime Minister had acted as temporary regent to Arendelle after the news of her parents demise came. He was also the one who mentored and helped her prepared for her role of Queen during those three years before she was of age. Elsa was very fond of the old man, mostly for his patience and guidance. No wonder King Agnar picked him as his most trusted advisors during his reign.

"I'm only going to Grindevald Fortress to find some answers, Lord Solberg. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be okay. Like I promised my sister the Princess, I won't go alone. She insisted me to bring my details."

Lord Bjornstad minister of Trade and Economic affairs raised his hand as if asking for permission to speak. The Queen didn't know if she should be amused or not with his behaviour who still looked unsure about voicing his opinion after being reprimanded.

"You may speak, Lord Bjornstad." she granted.

"Uhm, pardon me Your Majesty, but isn't it too risky for you to go out there, when we don't have any guarantee and prove that the late King and Queen was still out there? You could walk into a trap. I think what Chancellor Valdemar said does makes sense, Ma'am. Hans is a very manipulative criminal. This could be one of his wicked plan." the sixty year old man said while he rubbed his beard.

Elsa then proceed to tell them about what Grand Pabbie told her, of course without revealing the trolls existence.

"And who is this magic expert, ma'am?" General Edrik Hansen, the head of Arendellian's Army asked.

"I can't tell you. He preferred to be anonymous, but he's credible and I trust him."

The rude Chancellor Valdemar snorted. "Your Majesty, you must see reason! This is all just madness! You have a duty to your country as a sovereign! After all what this magic 'expert' told you was still cryptic and doesn't give us assurance about the certain condition of the late King and Queen."

She held the urge to roll her eyes. Valdemar was always the one who would never believe in magic. Though Elsa didn't understand why he was so hesitant to acknowledge her ability even though he had seen it himself a few times. Solberg told her once that he was just plain ignorant about that sort of thing. "You don't have to remind me about my duty, Lord Valdemar, I'm very much aware of it. Which is why Princess Anna is going to be the Princess Regent during my absence. She'd done it before, she had proved herself to be capable of running the country. I don't see any problem."

"What about Mr. Westergaard himself? Bringing him along would only put you in a very dangerous and risky situation, ma'am."

"No, he's coming with me. I certainly won't leave him here and put my family in danger. If he is not coming then I can't keep a close eye on him. The agreement with the Northern Alliance was that I will assessed him myself." Elsa insisted.

The room filled with murmurs.

"You don't want Arendelle to end up like the Southern Isles, do you, gentlemen?" The Queen ceased the noise in an instant. She continued.

"Clearly based on the report from our intelligence and the Northern Alliance's, the caused of the attack was quite unnatural. Isn't it prove enough? Say I stay here, and this woman decided to launch an attack to Arendelle, could you guarantee that we wouldn't end up like the Southern Isles?"

She glanced to each and every faces in the room.

There were uncertainty in their expressions. Of course they couldn't guarantee that.

"I am going because it is the right thing to do. I am doing this for all of our sakes. I don't want my people to suffer like the people of the Southern Isles! And it is my duty too to protect the people of Arendelle."

Solberg knew the Queen got a point there. The young woman was very determined to go and find the answer herself. He admired her selflessness. She was willing to put herself out there in a journey to an unknown to find answer which nobody knew if it even existed, all because of her desire to protect her people. Of course that final argument had successfully defeated everyone's hesitance to let her go. He just wished she would be safe and come home in one piece with the answer.

* * *

 **A/N : Next chapter, there's a party coming up! There might be a treat for Helsa shippers out there in the next chapter. So, stick around! :)**

 **As usual, Review, Follows, Favourites are very much appreciated.**


	9. Paper Faces on Parade

One week after he regained consciousness, Hans felt so much better and stronger. He was finally discharged from the infirmary. To his surprise, he was brought into the south wing of the castle and was given a room for himself. He thought he was going to be thrown into the dungeon. Ever since his infected wound looked better and didn't need anymore freezing, the Queen had stopped visiting him. He didn't expect her too. What he didn't understand was why he was given his own room? Why not just throw him into the dungeon? He asked one of the servant, Anders, who was tasked to provide him with his meal, only said, he was simply ordered by the Queen. Now, three days after he moved to his new room, he still hadn't got the answer.

The room that he occupied was not big but pretty decent. Not only that, he was also provided with clean clothes and a proper meal. Something that a prisoner wasn't supposed to have. Outside of his room, the castle guards was still constantly doing their patrol, so it was obvious that he was still under heavy surveillance. He scoffed and leaned back against the headboard of his bed. Why the hell that woman didn't kill him already?! What was it that she really want? Was she trying to make him feel guilty by providing all of these? Because he'd damned well already felt that way!Worse, it made him feel unworthy. The worst punishment in his mind wasn't a death penalty, but living with a constant reminder of his sin.

The door to his room suddenly opened. A guard that was posted outside of his room entered, followed by the very woman who occupied his mind just then. He straightened up out of instincts and stood before giving her a bow. The Queen of Arendelle still held the same air of regality with her flawless posture. Her emotionless face was the only thing that fascinated Hans. She could be a great poker player if she wanted to with that expression. He thought. The platinum blonde wore a simple black and yellow long trumpet sleeves dress. Her hands was clasped in front of her.

The guards let the door opened but he kept his distance as to not overheard what the Queen had to say to the prisoner.

"How is your condition?" she asked. Still with no trace of emotion on her gentle but toneless voice.

"Better. The doctor said it would only be a matter of time before my wound heal completely." he averted his gaze from looking straight at those cerulean blue eyes that made him uneasy whenever he did. There's just something about those cool icy stare that stirred him inside. It almost felt like she could pierced through his soul just by looking at him, so intimidating. He didn't like that.

"Good. You should remain here for the rest of the your recovery until you completely healed. Kai, should be able to give you the next instruction as to what you should do in the mean time."

"I'm sorry, what?" he thought his ears deceived him.

"Well, we couldn't let you just sitting here all day doing nothing. You are expected to do the same thing as the other castle servants. Baron Kai Norgard, master of the royal household will supervise you daily."

He couldn't believe what he just heard. She wanted him to serve her like the rest of the castle servants? Was this woman really out of her mind? He felt his anger boiled slowly. This time, he dared himself to look straight at the Queen's orbs. He still couldn't find any answer in her steel facade. He took a step forward, wishing she would at least gave him those terrified look he used to see when he imprisoned her eight years ago. But no, her gaze was still calm and even. She didn't even budged nor showed any sign of retreating back.

"Why?" he hissed dangerously.

Elsa tilted her head slightly. "Like I said, we couldn't let you just doing nothing all day. After all, you're not a guest here." that came out sharper than she intended.

"You think I didn't know that?!" he snapped. His raised voice immediately alarmed the guards as they were almost barged in to the room.

Elsa held her hand out as a sign for them to stand down.

"Why didn't you just throw me in the dungeon or put me in the hanging platform and be done with it?!" he flinched a little when he felt that sharp sensation on his ribs again after he yelled.

The woman in question walked towards the window of the room with a great view to the fjords.

"Believe me, if I indulge my selfish ego, that would be the first thing I did when you showed up at my castle again." she turned to him.

"But that's not how we do things here. It is against everything that me and my family believed. Yes, if you were tried here instead of the Southern Isles, death penalty might be one of the possibilities of your punishment. But even then, that would not happen until you get a fair trial. I knew what they did to you back there. Your father diligently wrote to me every six months informing about your condition. Now I know that letters seemed to be full with understatements, because I've seen the result. Nobody deserved that kind of treatment." she continued.

This is what he hated the most. Even though she didn't show it nor did she even give any inclination about it, but Hans knew she pitied him! His jaw tightened. He didn't need her pity! Not from anyone and especially not from her! He'd rather being tortured by his father and his other eleven brothers than have to face this woman gave him pity! _Pity is a sign of weakness!_ His father words rang in his head.

"I don't need your pity!" he stressed those words.

This time, the younger woman finally cracked her emotionless facade as her eyes narrowed in what looked like disbelief. That only last a mere two seconds before she put on that impenetrable mask again.

"Pity would be the last thing on my mind, Hans. There's also something that you need to know. The Northern Alliances received an intelligence reports about the damage that was done in the Southern Isles. I'm sorry that I have to tell you this, but no one in the castle survived. Your entire family was massacred. You're the sole survivor of that attack."

Hans didn't know whether to feel sad or happy to hear that his eleven brother were no longer around to bother him. He never had much respect for them anyway ever since he was very little. All they did were constantly making him as their personal punching bag. Always telling him how weak he was. So, yeah, part of him was glad that they're now gone. The same also applied to his father. But only one name suddenly popped up that made his stomach churned. Lars. That man was right after all, that day when he broke Hans out of the dungeon was indeed the very last time he'd seen him.

When he didn't respond, Elsa concluded. Her voice was less strained this time. It softened. "I'm not going to punish you. I'm done with punishment. You've endured that torture for eight years, that is enough. Also because I believe, people is not born evil, unfortunate circumstances in life shaped them that way. That day when you made a decision to do the right thing by coming here even though you knew the risk, showed me just that. Consider it my gratitude for doing the right thing."

With that, the Queen of Arendelle left him alone in his new room. Her words somehow still echoed in his head. When it finally sank in, he shivered. He let his body slid down the bed. Those overwhelming feelings surrounded him in a suffocating grasp. He even had to doubled over as he felt his breathing became erratic.

He's a murderer! A savage! Someone who didn't deserved to live! Someone who isn't worthy of anything! A freaking monster! Every hurtful words that his father and siblings threw at him replayed in his brain. How years of hearing them had hardened his feelings! He wasn't supposed to feel, damn it! Monster don't feel! Yet, why it had to be her who showed him mercy? The very person who was supposed to be his victim! Even after everything he did to her, how could she do that?! He let out a strangled sob while his palm kept hitting his head while he let himself be miserable and drowned in his own shame and grief.

* * *

Elsa looked at her reflection in the full body mirror. She was still a bit weary about Anna's idea of the ball tonight. They held a few balls before as a celebration but never as extravagant and quirky as this one is going to be. She had never even attended this kind of ball herself in Arendelle nor in her previous state visit to other kingdoms. Usually the ball would be just like a regular ball. In Anna's opinion, the usual ball was boring.

Elsa had never been big about a party before nor ever will. But eight years on the throne and diplomatic reason sometimes required her to attend, she couldn't say no. For her, it was all strictly business. This time however, the rules of the ball required her to withhold her identity until midnight. How on earth she was supposed to talk business with other dignitaries if she couldn't let herself be known?

Her thought was interrupted when Lady Helga, one of her lady's maid opened two boxes of jewellery that contained two different earrings in front of her.

"Which one was it again, ma'am?" she asked politely.

The Queen saw her reflection in the mirror and decided to go with sapphire and diamonds snowflakes earrings that Anna gave to her as a gift for her twenty-fifth birthday. It was perfect to go with the dress. She went back to the mirror and heard Helga sighed contently.

"You look beautiful, Your Majesty."

The platinum blonde smiled gently at her maid. "Thank you, Helga."

Helga had always known that Queen Elsa's beauty could make any men weak in the knees, but tonight especially, she looked radiant and breathtakingly beautiful. It made her wondered why she hadn't even got any suitors yet? With that level of beauty, intelligence, and personality, it would be easy for her to get any man she wanted. Yet, in her twenty nine years of life, not even once Helga ever heard her mention any interest to any particular man.

"Elsa!" called out a familiar voice.

That was enough to brought a smirk on Elsa's face. Only one person she'd known who had that kind of chirpy voice. It was no other than her baby sister, Anna. She mentally counted to five. When she got to three, she heard it from outside her bedchamber. A loud crashing sound. It made her shook her head in amusement. Some things just never changed.

"Are you ready?"

The door of her bedchamber finally opened, revealing the Princess who wore a strapless teal blue and pink tulle dress with a sweetheart bodice. Anna stopped at her track when she saw her older sister in front of her. Her jaw dropped in a very unladylike manner, her eyes widened in awe.

"Wow, Elsa! You look stunning!" the strawberry blonde gawked.

Anna couldn't believe her eyes. Her sister was not just stunning, but the epitome of beauty and elegance! The sparkly silver and royal blue sleeveless dress with a high neck bodice surely going to make her the centre of the attention tonight. Her hair was up in her signature french braided bun, but what made Anna so happy was the fact that her sister wore the present she gave her three years ago. She always knew her sister could always pull on a different style and looked gorgeous in everything just like her mama used to be. Which was why it always fascinated her. She caught a slight blush on Elsa's face which made her grin.

"Don't you think it's a little too much?" the older sibling turned to the mirror again.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course not! There's no such thing as too much style when it comes to Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

Helga nodded and hummed her agreement.

"See? Helga thinks so too!"

"Do we really have to put on the mask the entire time?"

"Only until midnight, then we could take it off and reveal our real identity. It's called masquerade ball for a reason, sis."

The Queen shrugged. "What if someone recognised me?"

"That doesn't matter. You could not confirm nor deny it. Let them speculate! That's why it's going to be so much fun! You practically could be anyone and could fool everyone! Before midnight you're free to be whoever you are! I don't have to deal with propriety and acting prim and proper, because they won't know who I am!" the Princess practically squealed.

Somehow that just didn't make it any better, for Elsa. Because at the end, their identity would be revealed, so propriety would still be needed. At least for her anyway. She just couldn't imagine herself to act so out of character in front of everybody. Even though they won't know her real identity, it still would be awkward and not really her style. She casted aside her worry, if it was going to make Anna happy, then she would do it.

"Let me look at you." Elsa now turned her focus to her little sister. She smiled. Anna would always be Anna. If her dress wasn't already a huge giveaway for tonight, she didn't know what else. Everything about Anna was definitely represented on her dress. Colourful, bright, sweet and bubbly. Sometimes Elsa couldn't believe that her little baby sister was also a mother of two now. Yet those clumsy, carefree and sometimes silly personality still very much presence. She remembered her father once told her that Elsa was his pride while Anna was his joy*.

"You look lovely, Anna! I'm sure you're going to have the best birthday ever!"

Anna giggled. "Well, it's all possible because of you! I never thought you would agree with my plan! Because you were so reluctant and even refused at first, but when you told me it's happening yesterday, it was like the best present ever!"

Elsa smirked. "Well, actually I never really refused. I just stalled you."

"For months! That was impressively sneaky, Elsa, really. But no matter! I love you so much!" without hesitation, the strawberry blonde pulled her sister into a tight warm hug.

Because it was a masquerade ball, there won't be any announcement of their arrival at the party. Like Anna said, complete anonymity. When Elsa arrived at the courtyard with Anna and Kristoff, they were right on time for the opening parade. The party would start at the courtyard before moving to the great hall. The opening parade consisted with the townspeople performing a tribute for their beloved Princess Anna. Anna herself was deeply touched and almost revealed her identity if not for Kristoff who kept his feisty pants from bouncing up and down.

By the time they were inside the great hall, Anna had dragged her husband to dance. Luckily after a few years officially being a prince and married to Anna, Kristoff had learnt enough about how he was expected to behave at a royal ball. His dancing skill had improved so much from the first few years of his marriage. Anna even joked that he actually had done much better than that pompous Duke of Weaseltown. Elsa stifled a chuckle at the memory. She observed her little sister and her brother in law in the dance floor and silently felt happy for her. She took a sip of her champagne while decided to just lay low. Though she was aware that every now and then people kept their eyes on her, even with her mask and everything. Until she heard someone cleared a throat from behind her.

She turned around and was face to face with a man who was a few inches taller than her. He wore a wine red double breasted waistcoat with a black floral peak collar tailcoats and black trousers. His face was covered with a black and white half face mask. All Elsa could see was the deep emerald green eyes behind the mask. For a couple of seconds there, she was in a weird trance and lost in that gaze.

"Splendid party, is it not?" the man asked. His voice was a little familiar to her but she could not place it anywhere. Weirdly enough his accent was somewhat foreign. It almost sounded like Irish.

"Do I know you?" Elsa asked. After all, wasn't it the point of the mask ball? To keep guessing everyone.

The copper haired man smiled sideways. "I doubt it. But _I_ know you."

Intrigued, she raised her eyebrows at him. Prompted him to go ahead and guess.

"Or perhaps you preferred that I call you Queen Elsa? Your Majesty." he bowed his head slightly but that playful smirk still lingered on his face.

"How could you… What makes you think I'm her?" As soon as the question left her mouth, she knew she had blown her cover. She cursed internally. It was a stupid question indeed!

The man shrugged easily. "Well, for someone who's very observant as me, it wouldn't be too hard to noticed your platinum blonde hair. There are a lot of blondes in this room but yours in particular is very unique, because it is lighter than usual blonde. If you had covered your hair, I would not be able to guess. That's your biggest giveaway. But don't worry, Your Majesty, I guess everyone else was just too oblivious."

Elsa couldn't help but squinted her eyes a little bit. She felt that she knew him because there was something about him that just really familiar.

"It's not fair, don't you think? That you know my real identity and I don't know yours."

There was that smirk again. She caught a slight twitchiness at the corner of his lips. A subtle muscle contraction but another thing that was supposed to be a hint. She saw that before in someone. But who?

"Well, that's the point of a masquerade ball. I won't reveal your real identity, but since I guessed right, shall I at least have the honour of dancing the next set with you, ma'am?"

The Queen gave it a thought. In a normal circumstances at a usual ball, she tried to avoid dancing altogether. She just didn't want to put herself in the centre of the attention where people might scrutinised and judged her every move. But here, it was different. No one knew her, she could do that without worrying what people might think.

 _Just try to have some fun for once in your life, Elsa!_ Anna's words resonated in her head. She looked back at the man in front of her. Her curiosity kept bugging her. She really wanted to know who this person was. Besides, he seemed genuine and had done nothing but being a good gentleman. She took a silent deep breath and gathered her courage before she gave her answer.

"I don't see why not."

From the corner of her eyes, Elsa saw her sister had dragged Kristoff to the where the sweets and chocolate was served. Then she heard the orchestra suite began playing the next set. Fortunately she was familiar with the selections for the ball because she personally picked it. So the waltz part wasn't hard.

Her partner extended his gloved hand to her in which she accepted and gave him an appreciative nod before he led her to the dance floor. Once there, they faced each other and bowed. As if on cue, they started to move in rhythm with the music. Elsa circled around him once before he stepped in and held her gently but firm enough. His right hand found its way to her back while her left hand rested on his shoulder. Their other hands intertwined together. He led her waltzed around the dance floor. Elsa was actually impressed by his fluidity. It felt like she was floating in his arms.

She might not have a lot of dancing experience, but she knew enough to differentiate a good lead from the bad. God knows how many times she ended with a partner who in the end only gave her a sore feet.

"You're pretty light on your feet for someone who used to claimed she doesn't dance." he teased.

The Queen looked up to those emerald green eyes. Surprised he knew that about her. "How did you know I don't dance?"

"Told you, I know you." he merely smiled.

"Well, I don't dance, that doesn't mean I don't have any experience with it."

She let go of his shoulder while he did the same with her back. Their intertwined hands stayed. She moved outward away from him before she felt him pulled her closer back to his arms.

"So, tell me, Your Majesty, what are your views about good and evil?"

Elsa curled her brows a little at his question. "What an odd choice of conversational topic, especially for a masquerade."

"No. That's actually part of my cover. It's my theme for tonight."

Only then she noticed what he meant after looking at his black and white mask. Amused, the platinum blonde snorted slightly. "So, you're just going to walk up to people and ask them what they think about good and evil?"

"Pretty much."

She shook her head but decided to play along. "Well, for me every person on earth have both good and evil within themselves, and every decision they make would always involve both sides."

"What about people who is evil at the core?" He spun her twice before she stood with her back towards him. After putting one of his hand against her side and the other still holding her other hand, they moved to the other direction of the dance floor. Their movements still in sync with the music.

"There's no such thing as a natural born evil. Evil isn't born, it's made. The same also applies to goodness. No one is completely saint. That's why we're human, we're a mixture of both." Elsa answered.

"But there are people who had done something very-very bad their entire life, like savages and criminals for example, don't you think they're qualified to be called the ultimate evil?"

She turned around gracefully, face him again and closed their distance once more. "People make bad choices everyday. Yes, what they did may be bad, but that doesn't mean they're evil. They're just misguided and misunderstood. And those people could still be better, you know, when given a chance and a right influence."

"Even when they don't deserve it?"

"Who are we to judge what they deserve or not? They probably had never known what they deserve in life as they had never been given any in the first place."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

They parted to the opposite directions before she manoeuvred her way back to where he was. She bounced on her toes and he effortlessly lifted her by the waist, spun her once before she landed back on the ground. They resumed their position and kept moving without missing a beat. Elsa continued their conversation.

"People like that, sir, usually endured something terrible in their pasts that shaped their worldview or even how they see themselves. Perhaps they did what they did because it was the only thing they believe they could be. An evil monster." she had to clenched her teeth as those words left a bitter taste on her mouth. The unpleasant memory that happened in this very room eight years ago came back in full force. She felt a lump on her throat.

The copper haired man kneeled and Elsa circled around him in a counterclockwise direction. One of their hands remained clasped together. Once she was back in his grasp, she shook that image out of her head. It was never good to dwell on something she could never change. She looked up and her gaze instantly bumped into his deep green eyes. Something stirred inside of her. She noticed how those orbs weren't as bright as before. There was something behind those eyes that she couldn't quite explain. A darker shadows of what looked like sorrow. Who is this man? She asked herself.

She realised his hold on her became firmer than it was before. He did not respond to what she said. He simply fixated his gaze on hers, while she let herself being swept away by his lead. Strangely everything about their movements for Elsa just felt so natural. How their bodies were so in tune with each other or how easy it seemed to fit into each other's arms. Something she had never experienced before with anyone.

The music finally ceased. He bowed and gave a chaste kiss on her knuckle. That was when she heard a round of applause filled the ballroom. She looked around and found that every sets of eyes in the room now trained on her and her dance partner. A heat spread through her cheek. Suddenly felt relief with her mask because they still didn't know her identity. She turned around and found him retreated back.

The Queen of Arendelle was about to go after him but was immediately dragged by the overly excited princess in a rainbow dress. She casted another look at his direction and found him gone. Oh well, maybe she would find out his identity eventually later at midnight.

She never did.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh wow! this is by far the longest chapter I've ever written.**

 **I leave you to speculate the identity of that mysterious man who danced with Elsa. Hint: Don't be fooled by his Irish accent. ;D  
** **If you're curious about the waltz they were doing, here's the inspiration:** **watch?v=ich3zlZBRZg  
**

 *** = This was quoted from a Netflix Series, The Crown. Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret's sisterly relationships reminded me so much of Elsa and Anna's relationship.**

 **The title of this chapter is based on the lyric of Masquerade musical number, from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera musical.**

 **Next chapter, Elsa's adventure is about to begin! Braced yourself!**

 **I also wanna say thank you for the guests reviewers who reviewed my story, I wanna let you know how much I appreciate it.  
Reviews, follows, and favourites are very much appreciated. :)**


	10. That's How A Moment Last Forever

The woman entered the room while she kept her eagle eyes upfront. Every guards she passed bowed their head. No one actually dared to glance at her. Her floor length dress trailed behind her. There was something in the way she moved that clearly sent a message that she didn't want to deal with everybody's nonsense. She held the air of intimidation everywhere she goes. The unpleasant atmosphere that always surrounded her was enough to make her overall appearance seemed frightful for her minions. Once she arrived at her destination, she flicked her wrist subtly. Just like that, the door in front of her opened by the sudden gust of wind she conjured. She went inside and everyone stood up in an instant. Her eyes looked around the room and landed on the person who was lying on the bed.

"Leave! All of you!" she commanded. Her voice was sharp as a dagger.

Without waiting any second, everybody in the room cleared away. It was so obvious no one wanted to get on her bad sides.

Once she was left alone with the man who was still lying in bed, she let her shoulder loosened up a little. The dark haired woman sat at the edge of his bed. The man gave her a look of confusion. By the deep frown that grazed upon his face, she knew inside his head contained lots of questions.

She smiled at him. "Hello, Bernhard."

"Who are you?"

The woman gave him a sympathetic look. "Of course, the doctor told me to expect this. My name is Regina. Yours is Bernhard."

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"Because you've been in a terrible accident. You were in a coma for eleven years."

His eyes widened as if it would come out of the socket.

"Eleven years?" His breathing started to pick up and became frantic in seconds.

Regina put her hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared, but you're safe here. The doctor said you might get your memories back when you recovered fully, hopefully. You just regained your consciousness and I know you're confused. I can tell you everything about who you are. But right now you need to get more rest."

"Do… do you really know who I am?" his eyes flashed a glint of cautiousness.

"Better than anyone."

"What really happened to me?" he raised his voice. The panic in his voice was evident.

"The short version of it, you were on a journey to visit the Kingdom of Corona and your ship sank because of a huge storm. But there's so much to the story then just that. I'll tell you the rest of it once you recovered, because it's going to be too overwhelming if I tell you now."

His breathing gradually became calmer. Then he looked around the room and looked at the woman beside him. She dressed in a fine clothes and he could tell it looked fancy.

"Where am I?"

Regina gave him another smile. "You're in my castle, in the Kingdom of Bergen, to be exact."

He went silent. Why is that name sounded familiar to him? It felt like that name should meant something to him. He just couldn't figure it out. There's also that sense of familiarity in this woman. He did not remember who she was exactly, but there was this feeling that told him he knew her. He let out a sigh and finally decided to follow his instinct. Maybe she really could help him.

"I feel like I know you." he said reluctantly.

"That's because you do, you just don't remember."

"In your castle, that means you're a Queen?"

Regina nodded after she stood up from where she was sitting. Her hands clasped together in front of her. "I know everything seems so confusing for you right now, but you're going to be okay."

When she saw him nodded weakly she got out of the room. A wicked smile stretched across her face while she fastened her steps back towards her throne room. There she was greeted by a dark haired man who shared the same eye colour as her. He looked at her expectantly.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Everything is perfect, Rolf! It works! He doesn't remember anything."

"Then we can proceed to the next step."

Her smile grew wider. "Definitely, but I want to take my time with him. This time, I will get what I want!"

The man rolled his eyes. "Don't indulge yourself too much, Your Majesty. You'll risk destroying everything you worked so hard these past eleven years."

"Don't worry about that, dear big brother. I'll be very careful. Besides, I'd never get to have my fun with him all those years ago."

The older man didn't say anything and just looked at his sister. He wasn't sure what kind of force had turned his once lovely and innocent little sister into this cunning, obsessive, ruthless, and evil woman. It had been almost thirty years since she decided to spare him his life and not kill him like she did to the rest of their family. Almost thirty years she held him under her grasp, while he foolishly believe he could knock some sense into her. But it seemed, the little sister he once knew all those years ago, was long gone. This woman had no good left in her. He'd seen it firsthand what she was capable of and the extend of her powers. How much destruction she could caused. He was even sure that she could wipe the entire human existence if she wanted too.

He tried for years to get through her, to resuscitate what was left of her little sister, but always failed. With the years that passed by, his faith on her crumbled down slowly. He gave up the idea of trying to get the old Regina back. It was all going to be useless. So, he just played his part while kept analysing the way out for himself. If she could be manipulative, he could too. All he needed was time and the right moment. She was even more powerful now than ever. He doubted that anybody could match her, not even her primary target, the infamous Snow Queen of Arendelle.

* * *

Two weeks after the ball, Hans's was finally settled with his new routine. His job as one of the servants in the castle was to help Marius, the stable boy with the royal horses. It wasn't something new to him. Back in the Southern Isles he did the same thing, cleaning up horses's poop was something he got used to do. The only difference was, in here, he wasn't under a watchful eyes of his brothers who usually would mess up with him by throwing him into the pile of horse shit just for their amusement. He silently felt grateful because they weren't around anymore.

Surprisingly, when he first got to the stable, he was greeted by a very familiar figure. Sitron. His horse that he left in Arendelle after he was shipped off back to the Southern Isles eight years ago. Somehow it made him felt so good that he finally reunited with him. Sitron was the only friend he had ever been close too. For Hans, the stallion had always been his loyal companion and had more manners than his eleven bully brothers. He got Sitron as a present from his late mother for his thirteenth birthday. The stallion was only a baby back then but ever since that day, the bond between them was inseparable.

"How are you today, boy?" the former prince asked while he rubbed Sitron's nose gently.

The white stallion neighed a little before nuzzled closer to him. Hans smiled a little. Even though it had been eight years since their separation, he could still understand what the horse tried to say. This time, Sitron was letting him know he missed to galloped in the open with him.

"I know. I want it too, but I can't. They'll shot me if I do that." he answered.

Just as he was finished, he heard a familiar voice called his name. He turned around and found the Queen of Arendelle herself was walking towards him.

"Your Majesty." He bowed his head to her.

"Mr. Westergaard, I want you to prepare the horses for my departure tomorrow. Frostie and six other horses. Bring Sitron if you want."

"You want to bring Sitron with you?"

"No. I'm telling you that you can bring your horse for this journey."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"You're coming with me."

For a second his mouth gaped slightly. Was she being serious right now? He looked at her and found nothing on her steel expression. Damn! _Why is this woman so hard to read?!_ He used to be able to do that eight years ago with the fear that was always projected in her icy blue eyes. She used to be an open book to him. But now, she became completely impenetrable.

"Why me? Marius can do that?"

She put her hand on her hips, looking extremely irritated.

"First, you are in no position to ask any question. Second, it's an order. Third, Marius is in charge with the royal stable. He is needed here, while you're not. Fourth, I need someone to take care of the horses throughout the journey. Lastly, you were the one who had ever laid eyes on this Regina witch, you might be useful to me at finding her."

She could wear that steely facade very well, but he knew there were other reasons. Something clicked inside his mind. He smirked slightly and walked closer to her. She stayed firmly where she stood and never showing any sign to back away.

"No. You're afraid I might try to finish what I started eight years ago. With you gone, it would be easy for me to plot another devious plan to overthrow Anna." he told her. Couldn't help the victorious feelings with the fact that he still frightened her somehow.

The ever so regal Queen of Arendelle looked up to him. She cocked her head a little while her expressionless face didn't budge at all. "Isn't it obvious? You're still my prisoner, I want to keep a close eye on you. I'll be damn if I ever let you get near any members of my family."

He maintained his smirk. "Well if I didn't know better, Your Majesty, I'd think you became rather clingy to me."

Hans felt another twinge of satisfaction when he caught a flash of annoyance on her frigid face.

"You should learn to watch your tongue when talking to the Queen, Mr Westergaard. Other monarch would not hesitate to cut it out of you. Consider yourself lucky, I'm not among them." Elsa retorted back then turned around to leave him where he stood.

Hans snorted while he watched her walked away. That woman was impossible!

Once Elsa stepped in into the castle she rolled her eyes and stomped her feet a little hard on the floor. Clearly annoyed by Hans's remark. The nerve of him! She wasn't sure she could bear being near him for the entire length of the journey for an uncertain period of time. She let out a huff. Still, including him on this journey was a better option than letting him stay in Arendelle. She told him the truth about not wanting his presence near her family. It was too risky letting him out of her sight. Besides, she still needed to assess him personally for the agreement she made with the Northern Alliances.

Later that night after dinner, Anna insisted that they spent some family time together in the drawing room. Elsa couldn't agree more. She was going to embark on a long journey, and she couldn't be sure when she would be back to Arendelle, if she would make it. She told Anna about that she would only going to Grindevald Fortress to master her powers, but what she didn't tell her, was that she might also be looking for her parents. Elsa knew sooner or later she was going to face this Regina. From Hans's story, it was very clear that this woman specifically targeted her and Anna. Which was why Elsa needed to go and try to confront her first before she had any chance to invade her home and put her family and people in danger. She felt a lump on her throat when she thought about the possibility of her never coming back home at all. This might be the very last night she spent with the people she loved most. She shook her head and dissipated that thought immediately. Negative thinking would get her nowhere, she had enough problem to deal with and couldn't afford room for those negative thoughts.

Once she entered the drawing room, her lips curved a smile. Kristoff was busy animatedly telling story to Alek and Adeline. The little prince and princess listened intently and nodded occasionally as they anticipated what will happen next. Anna on the other hand was sprawled on the sofa not far from them, too engrossed with the book on her hand while she devoured a box of chocolate on the table in front of her. Elsa walked towards her sister and snatched some of the chocolate. Elsa's face scrunched up slightly when the sweetness hit her palate. Too sweet for her taste. "It's cloyingly sweet! How could you eat this?"

"How could you eat dark chocolate? They tastes bitter and nasty!" Anna retorted back and made a room for her sister to sat beside her.

"They're not nasty! It's an acquired taste, sugar ruins the essence of chocolate."

The princess rolled her eyes. "Always the ever so sophisticated Snow Queen! I think they're boring."

The older sibling narrowed her eyes playfully. "Did you just say I'm boring?"

Anna averted her gaze from her book to her sister. "I didn't say that! I said dark chocolate is so boring."

"Oh, no, you're not going to get away with that one." Elsa warned.

Before Anna realised what her sister meant by that, a pile of snow appeared out of nowhere and hovered above her head before it dropped. "Hey! That's cheating!"

The Queen laughed. "Well, I'm the Queen, I do whatever I wish." She said smugly.

The strawberry blonde ruffled her hair, trying to clear the snow. "Just you wait, sis. Payback is not going to be sweet."

Elsa turned to the direction of her brother in law, nephew and niece who were still too occupied with the tales. "Let me guess, another story about the tales of Flynnigan Rider? How many times is it now?"

Anna chuckled. "I lost count. Ever since Eugene introduced them to the book, they wouldn't stop asking to be told that story over and over again. Kristoff's penchant for dramatic story telling, just doesn't help at all. I just hope none of them grow up wanting to be a thief like their uncle."

The platinum blonde giggled when she remembered their cousin in law.

They went silent for a while and watched as the young father continued his tales. Both Elsa and Anna could only smiled and sometimes snickered when Kristoff did some silly gestures for dramatic effect.

Anna turned to her sister and her smiled died instantly. This is the last night she spent with Elsa before she embarked on her journey tomorrow. She still wasn't really fond with the idea of separating even though Elsa said it was not for a long time. She would still miss her badly when she's gone. These past two weeks, Elsa had helped her to settle with her role as Princess Regent in her absence. But Anna noticed that Elsa pushed her harder than usual. The Queen included her in every state affairs and every nitty gritty details about Arendelle that she thought would not necessary for her to know.

"Elsa, can I ask you something?"

The person in questioned turned her attention to Anna and smiled gently. "Of course. What is it?"

Anna bit her bottom lip. "Why did you include me in every state affairs these past two week?"

Elsa frowned. Confused with the question. "Because, you're going to be regent while I'm gone."

"I know that. What I meant is, the nitty gritty details. Was it really necessary? I've been regent before while you embarked on your state visits, but you usually just kept me informed of the recent situation. I didn't have to know everything like the total number of Arendellian armed forces, or every battle strategies from previous wars."

Elsa knew Anna would suspect that. The reason was simply because she wanted Anna to be prepared for everything should the worse happen. She knew what it felt like to be shoved into the responsibility of being a monarch. She wasn't prepared when the weight of the crown landed on her head eleven years ago. If it wasn't because of Lord Solberg who acted as regent and also mentor to her, she probably would've muddled the whole thing.

"Here's the thing, Anna. You're not only the princess regent. But, you're also the crown princess. Those nitty gritty details are important for the crown princess to know. I had to know all those stuff when I was fifteen, you know." Elsa was hoping Anna would understand.

The princess didn't buy it though. She squinted her eyes suspiciously at her sister. "No. I think there's another reason, isn't it?" A moment later, something clicked inside her head. She realised something. "You were preparing me for the worse, weren't you? You think you would never coming back. Elsa!"

Elsa cringed a little but then sighed. "Listen, Anna. It's not only that. The thing is, by now, the probability of me getting married and produced an heir, is very slim. That means, you're my heir. I have to be realistic, it's not simply because of this journey. If something happens to me in the future, I don't want you to be unprepared. This job, is not an easy thing to do. I just want to help you while I can."

Anna didn't want to hear it! She didn't want to think about the possibility of losing her sister forever. She wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist while resting her head on her older sister's shoulder. "Just promise me you'll come back! Promise me, Elsa!" she demanded.

For Elsa, that was the promise she was afraid she couldn't keep. She embraced her baby sister tightly while rubbing her back to soothe her worries away. "I promise I will do anything in my power to come home safely. Don't worry, Anna." She landed a kiss on top of Anna's head.

"Aunt Elsa, play and sing for us, please!" Alek had climbed into the sofa next to his aunt and mother.

The platinum blonde glanced towards the piano forte that sat behind the sofa. Contemplating for a little while. But when she saw her entire family seemed eager to hear her sing, she didn't have a heart to deny it. "Alright. I'll play."

Anna released her sister from her embrace and smiled. It was not something new for Elsa to play and sing for them. The rest of the family loved to hear her sing. Elsa had inherited their mother's talent in music. She remembered when they were little, long before the incident in the great hall, Elsa would sit in the piano with their mother and both would play for her and their father. She even joked once to Elsa that if she weren't destined to be Queen, she probably would become a successful musician. Anna tried to have a piano lesson with their mother, but she just didn't have the patience for it.

Elsa looked down to the black and white keys before she let her fingers danced across the keys producing a beautiful melody. She started singing along while glancing to every faces in the room. Her heart warmed at the sight, she couldn't ask for a better farewell than this.

 _How does a moment last forever?  
_ _How can a story never die?  
_ _It is love we must hold onto  
_ _Never easy, but we try  
_ _Sometimes our happiness are captured  
_ _Somehow, our time and place stand still  
_ _Love lives on inside our hearts and always will_

 _Minutes turn to hours  
_ _Days to years and gone  
_ _But when all else has been forgotten  
_ _Still our song lives on  
_

 _Maybe some moments weren't so perfect  
_ _Maybe some memories not so sweet  
_ _But we have to know some bad times  
_ _Or our lives are incomplete  
_ _Then when the shadows overtake us  
_ _Just when we feel all hope is gone  
_ _We'll hear our song and know once more  
_ _Our love lives on._

 _How does our happiness endures?  
_ _Through the darkest of our troubles  
_ _Love is beauty, love is pure  
_ _Love pays no mind to desolation  
_ _It flows like a river through the soul  
_ _Protects, persists, and perseveres  
_ _And makes us whole_

* * *

 **A/N: Yup! We finally got to see another glimpse of what Regina is doing. Can you guess who is this Bernhard guy? (not that hard to guess, really) :D**

 **The song that Elsa was playing is How Does a Moment Last Forever originally sung by the legendary Celine Dion, obviously a major reference to the live action Disney Beauty and the Beast! I watched it a few days ago, and it was amazing! I just feel like the song fit with the farewell situation. And also because the song kinda stuck in my head along with Evermore. It's totally an oscar worthy! Kudos to Alan Menken and Tim Rice!**

 **The adventure will begin in the next chapter!**

 **What do you think about this one? Reviews, Follows, Favourites! :) :)**


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